Only One Day A Year

It was today, and I was there!

My good friend and fellow artist, Judi Colwell, informed me of a local one day of the year event: Prairie Appreciation Day.

The Glacial Heritage Preserve in Littlerock, where the event took place, is one of the few remnants of a prairie landscape that once covered huge areas in western Washington. The prairies were an extremely important food gathering area for Native Americans. Glacial Heritage and other prairies in the area are now important places for ecological studies by professionals and private citizens.

For the past 14 years, many volunteers and organizations have put this one day event together. They do a phenomenal job! Especially fun were the activities geared towards children, but even us young-at-heart enjoyed learning about the area and its inhabitants.

The Mima Mounds were splashed with colors of blue-purple and yellow wildflowers.


The blue-purple camas was an important food of Native Americans. The bulbs were dug in the spring and cooked for 24 hours, usually in large pits dug in the ground.


These wildflowers were intermingled with the yellows of the western buttercup and spring gold.

The seeds from these and other plants are collected in the summer for prairie restoration.

Paper Sculptures

I came across sculptures of Native American scenes made out of paper by Allen and Patty Eckman.

They are truly amazing!


These stunningly detailed sculptures may only be made from paper - but they are being snapped up by art fans for tens of thousands of pounds. The intricate creations depict Native American scenes and took up to 11 months to make using a specially formulated paper.

Husband and wife team Allen and Patty Eckman put paper pulp into clay moulds and pressurise it to remove the water. The hard, lightweight pieces are then removed and the couple painstakingly add detailed finishing with a wide range of tools.

They have been making the creations since 1987 at their home studio, in South Dakota, America, and have racked up a whopping £3 million selling the works of art. The pieces depict traditional scenes from Native American history of Cherokees hunting and dancing. The most expensive piece is called Prairie Edge Powwow which sold for £47,000.

Allen said: "We create Indians partly because my great, great grandmother was a Cherokee and my family on both sides admire the native Americans. I enjoy most doing the detail. The paper really lends itself to unlimited detail. I'm really interested in the Indians' material, physical and spiritual culture and that whole period of our nation's history I find fascinating. From the western expansion, through the Civil War and beyond is of great interest to me."

Allen explained their technique: "It should not be confused with papier mache. The two mediums are completely different. I call what we do 'cast paper sculpture'. Some of them we create are life size and some we scale down to 1/6 life size. These sculptures are posed as standing nude figures and limited detailed animals with no ears, tails or hair. We transform them by sculpting on top of them - creating detail with soft and hard paper we make in various thicknesses and textures. We have really enjoyed the development of our fine art techniques over the years and have created a process that is worth sharing. There are many artists and sculptors who we believe will enjoy this medium as much as we have."


An Indian mother holding her baby is a favourite of many clients.

Sand Mandala and Deconstruction

This evening for the last class of the Create Mandalas for Personal Expression and Awareness which I taught at The Evergreen State College, I brought colored sand. We talked about the Tibetan Sand Mandalas and how the Native American Indians create sand mandalas. Then we let loose ourselves.

I watched as different techniques were invented; from paper tubes such as decorating cakes to dispersing sand from the palm of your hand. Of course every mandala was unique.

The mandalas were created on a large, thin piece of cardboard. After we discussed our mandalas and found the significance in our lives, one of the students began to tap the edges of the cardboard and the mandala transformed. We all tried this technique and were fascinated with the process.

I know that the idea behind sand mandalas is an exercise in impertinence, but I did bring my camera. We were so intrigued with the transformations that I documented them. Here is my sand mandala and its deconstruction.

What FUN!

Mandala Watercolor Painting #5

Beginning a new watercolor mandala painting, the initial line resembled a hummingbird, yet very stylized. I decided to go with the image. The hummingbird is my totem animal; from the Native American teachings the hummingbird represents joy. It also appeared in the second mandala of this series.

The hummingbird sings a vibration of pure joy. Flowers love hummingbird because nectar-sucking brings about the reproduction of their families. Plants flower and live because of hummingbird. Hummingbirds can fly in any direction, and can also hover in one spot and appear to be motionless.

According to Native American teachings, if hummingbird is your personal medicine, you love life and its joys. Your presence brings joy to others. You join people together in relationships which bring out the best in them. You know instinctively where beauty abides and, near or far, you jouney to your ideal. You move comfortably within a beautiful environment and help others taste the succulent nectar of life. Hummingbird hears celestial music and is in harmony with it.



This mandala relates to my joyous life; and, as my friend, Fernando says, "the beautiful colors of [my] essence," which is held lovingly.

Art Speak

I have been creating mandalas in watercolors to assist me in processing the recent loss of my mother. I find that during the meditative process of creating a mandala that thoughts and visual images appear. In my second mandala painting the shape of a hummingbird appeared.

The hummingbird happens to be my totem animal, and I took notice of what it might be telling me. According to Native Americans our fellow creatures, the animals, exhibit habit patterns that will relay messages of healing to anyone astute enough to observe their lessons. When you call upon the power of an animal, you are asking to be drawn into complete harmony with the strength of that creature's essence.

It is said that hummingbird conjures love as no other medicine does, and that hummingbird feathers open the heart. Without an open and loving heart, you can never taste the nectar and pure bliss of life. To brother and sister hummingbird, life is a wonderland of delight - darting from one beautiful flower to another, tasting the essences, and radiating the colors. Hummingbird sings a vibration of pure joy.

I am honored by the presence of hummingbirds; this winter as I was painting and a hummingbird showed up at the window, at my mother's funeral reception a hummingbird joined us, and while I was painting the second mandala in the series processing the loss of my mom this hummingbird image appeared.


Having just finished reading art therapist, Shaun McNiff's book, Trust the Process, I will re-frame from adding meaning to this mandala. Shaun believes that it is important to contemplate images with the attitude of withholding judgments or explanations of any kind. He says the interpretation of art can be approached as a tantric discipline that reflects upon visual qualities. He asks, "Why is it that we fell the need to respond to visual communications verbally?"

What do you think?