It is warm today, and hazy: Smoke, presumably from the fire in El Rito Canyon, has moved in to enclose the valley in a pale yellow veil. The haze has not descended low enough here yet to drive the wild creatures to seek shelter; birds and bees and butterflies are all busily engaged in the eternal search for sustenance, and in pursuit of the sheer spiraling joy of flight.
It is summer, or nearly so — powwow season, in our cultures, and the wildlife have their own powwow trail. Our world is ready for summer dancing.
Today’s featured work is a tribute to the dance — to our own circling steps to honor the spirits of the season, and to the round dances of the spirits themselves. From its description in the Other Artists: Wall Art gallery here on the site:
Renowned Comanche artist Tim Saupitty created a matched pair of air-spray paintings in watercolor hues, images of a man and woman in full traditional dress. The male figure remains in Wings’s private collection; he has put the female figure on offer. Whether viewed as a dancer or a bride, she is wholly traditional, with beaded buckskin cape, light blue shawl, eagle-feather fan, and eagle plume in her long braided hair; the spirits of deer and dragonflies dance all around her. The colors are simultaneous delicate and bold, the stylized human figure the artist’s hallmark; the interplay of light and shadow surrounds her with beauty and mystery and spiritual power. The entire image, including frame, is 38 inches high by 30 inches wide; the visible portion of the painting is 29.5 inches high by 21.25 inches wide (dimensions approximate). Close-up and full views shown below.
Note: This piece sustained mild water damage in the lower left corner and back due to a leak in the 1,000-year-old gallery in which it once hung. It has accordingly been reduced in price by nearly 50%.
Textured paper; air-spray paint; wood frame with glass
$2,500 + shipping, handling, and insurance
Permanent markdown: Reduced to $1,500 + shipping, handling, and insurance
Note: Size and fragility require special handling; extra shipping charges apply
This is, truly, a stunningly beautiful work. The detail accorded the dancer and her regalia is astonishing, evoking the texture of the hide on her cape and the individual strands of her long braided hair. But it is the more mystical aspect of it that captures eye and heart: she dances, eyes closed, to song and drum, and the spirits of summer respond, arriving to envelop her in an invisible embrace as they join her steps. Deer; butterfly; dragonfly — whole clans come to share the joy of the drum, the song, the circle.
It is one of the true wonders of the season, this ability to dance for the spirits out of doors, beneath sun and clouds, in the embrace of a warm gentle breeze. And, just occasionally, to be joined by them in an expression of pure joy, in connection and in harmony.
~ Aji
All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2019; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.
