Mîgwetchiwiiwewin

As Thanksgiving approached, I realized I had really no Fall painting with which to decorate my house.

And we have so much to be thankful for, in spite of our small problems. Even the problems are at least interesting. We will have a new hearing at Wayne County Circuit Court; it is currently scheduled for December 19. This will be our appeal of the guilty judgment against us in our Municipal Court over my outdoor paintings.

On Monday I will be interviewed by the Detroit Free Press about the issue. I'll let you know when this article comes out.

So for my Fall painting, I chose a Native American theme again. I had just been to the local annual pow-wow. It was very sparsely attended, due to the economy and the distances from which many Indians must travel, weighed against the amount they think they might earn as vendors there. While it was a little bit sad not to see the same people we see year after year, it was still good to see some of the faithful and the most dedicated dancers with their gorgeous costumes.

I used an old Edward Curtis photo as my pose and some of my own photos from the pow-wow to fill in the costume details. The zigzag wooden forms which frame the sides of the painting are stair supports (called "stringers") from Home Depot, painted turquoise blue with Native-inspired medallions. I am in the process of varnishing this painting and it will appear in front of my house by Wednesday. Just in time for Thanksgiving. And my guests.

Acrylic on wood. Image size, approx. 66 x 122 cm.