The creative process is rarely linear. On those unlikely occasions when it does seem to flow in a straight line, it’s perhaps better attributable to serendipity than to industry, to synchronicity than to agency. As any artist or writer will tell you, what’s initially conceived, perhaps amorphous and barely formed or articulated when work begins, may bear little to no relationship to what results.
More often, the relationship is clear, but the object undergoes several stages of revision and refinement. Sometimes it occurs as the work proceeds, sub- or even wholly unconsciously; sometimes it occurs after a work is “finished,” hours, days, weeks, months, even years later, as the creator realizes that something in it has not been fully actualized.
Wings has always said that Spirit guides his work, and that he does his best to let that happen. He says that when he tries impose too much rigid control on the process, attempting to adhere to an arbitrary initial vision — in other words, to force it — it never works. It doesn’t allow for a piece’s natural evolution, nor for Spirit to speak through the work, and inevitably, the piece itself doesn’t work.
More often, though, it’s less a question of forcing a particular result than one of simply allowing that process of natural evolution. It’s not a contest of control; it’s more akin to a force that flows much like a river. On some days, it meanders slowly, allowing one to feel the waves of each turn and bend, to reflect on the life within and without. On others, it’s the rushing force of rapids, carrying one along with such speed and power that all you can do is go with it, even if it sends you over the falls. Most of the time, it’s somewhere between the two; the artist knows, deep down, when the end of that river has been reached, or when there remain bends yet to navigate, falls yet to descend to stiller waters below.
And so it is with one of Wings’s recent pieces: one he thought was complete, and, indeed, seemed so to me as a mere observer. Wings, however, listens, and when the spirit of a piece speaks, he hears.
This mounted amulet, this dancer, this elder, this ancestor spirit: He was incomplete, and he said so.
In his original incarnation, this was his description, found in the Collectibles Gallery here on the site:
He’s an elder among elders, a dancer, a long-haired spirit being. This figurative piece combines multiple natural elements with an inspiriting sense of motion to create a single dynamic, unifying form. Head and upper body are hand-crafted of sterling silver bearing images of power: His head bears the forces of the sacred directions; his body, elemental forces meeting in the sacred space. His lower body is a single very old piece of deer antler that diverges naturally into the two prongs that form his dancing legs. His traditional long hair is made of genuine horse hair, light in color as befits his elder status. Like his namesakes in the spirit world, he wears an “eagle” feather at the back of his head (in this case, produced by one of our Barred Rock chickens and carried by the winds directly into Wings’s hands). He stands atop a cedar wood base. Entire piece stands 9.5″ high; figure alone, 5″ high excluding feather and base; feather adds another 3.5″ in height; base stands 2″ high by 3-3/8″ wide by 2-1/8″ deep (all dimensions approximate).
Sterling silver; horse hair; deer antler; cedar
$2,200 + shipping, handling, and insurance
Fragility requires special handling; extra shipping charges apply
But what this miniature being personifies now is something more vital and vibrant yet.
Once in the spirit world, of course, he will wear his finest traditional dress. The trappings of age and mortality will have fallen away; he will once again be that vital young warrior, singer, dancer, leader that he was in his prime. HIs long, luxuriant black hair will be restored to him, and now, unencumbered by human frailty, he will be able to dance for eternity in brilliant color that will never fade.
He needs his regalia.
He asked for it.
I can imagine his voice, a gentle susurration on the cold winter wind, calling for his headdress, that marker of identity and power, of recognition earned through a life well-lived.
And so, hair and headdress have been restored to him:
His hair is once more the rich jet color of his youth, uncut, a manifestation of his strength and a tangible sign of his power.
His “eagle feather” remains, of course, but it now dances with him in the accompany of a lesser, yet larger and more colorful, macaw feather: shades of blue and earthy orange, the colors of the Pueblo itself, of its very sky and soil.
And attached to the feathers of his headdress is a strand of very old beads in brilliant hues: blues and reds, oranges and yellows, more colors of earth and sky. The beads move with him as he dances, casting their blessings of rain and abundance upon his people.
It took a little time, with some detours along the way, but today his journey is complete. He is home now, in the Spirit World, properly attired and ready to dance for the people.
~ Aji
All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owners.
