Dreamcatcher #1386-Spiral wi/Deer Jaw- Earth Art

Description

This large dreamcatcher features a half deer jaw at its center. The spiral has been decorated with leather, copper wire, bison bone beads, a small bead of red coral and a piece of turquoise. There is a driftwood stick running diagonally across the spiral. The spiral is bittersweet vine and root and the web is imitation sinew. Guinea fowl feathers hang at the bottom. It hangs approx. 32" from the top of the loop to the bottom of the lowest feather;  the length of the piece can be adjusted by shortening the loop. The spiral is approx. 17" in diameter and the jaw is 8" long.
A Native American dreamcatcher traditionally hangs over a person while he/she sleeps. It catches bad dreams in its web, while letting good dreams filter through. A medicine wheel is a personal object that gives one strength, power, and protection.
My inspiration comes from my love of nature and from the cultures and regions I have visited on my travels to the seven continents and to many remote islands around the world. My artwork is created with vines, roots, branches, and other natural objects that I collect from the woods and beach near my home in New Hampshire. I also decorate my pieces with found or repurposed objects, or sometimes with items I’ve brought back from my travels. Most of the bones I use are found in the woods, given to me by friends who know I use them in my art; I sometimes buy bones from a forest ranger who maintains hiking trails in a national park. Occasionally I salvage roadkill and bury it in my garden for a year to let Mother Earth clean it.
My art embraces the Japanese concept of Wabi-sabi: finding beauty in imperfection. When I walk outdoors, I see art in a broken branch covered in moss, in a weathered bone, in a twisted vine or a gnarled root, in a piece of driftwood, in a fallen leaf or sea-worn shell. The natural shapes of the materials I use influence my process of construction and design. I let the treasures of the Earth speak to me.