Purification, Higher Wisdom
The woman in the painting holds up a feather of the Great Snowy Owl, a creature that is feared by some in the culture for its association with death. The Snowy Owl as like other owls are messengers from the Spirit World and usually brings messages of someone's passing.
Here she is praying to the great Snowy Owl spirit for wisdom on her journey. The fire at her side was sends up smoke of tobacco in the form of an offering to the Spirits.
The Dreamcatcher holds a widespread belief in that it protects against bad dreams and is hung up above a person's sleeping place or anywhere one chooses. The four faces in the leather laces in the sky represent the four directions on the Medicine Wheel ( North, South, East and West ).
Acrylic on Canvas 16x20
2002
Privately owned.