Giovane Cedar Art
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  • PAINTINGS 1
    • I Heard a Loon Calling
    • Spring in Bloom
    • Hiding in the Tall Grass
    • Flower Moon in May
    • Enduring Pine
    • When the Wisteria Blooms
    • Snow on the Beach
    • It Only Takes One
    • Scattered Fans
    • White Circle of Silence
    • Northwest Rain Kosode
    • Weasel Mania
    • In the Spirit of Serizawa & Kubota
    • On Eagle's Wings Ema
  • Paintings 2
    • Down by the Stream on a Lazy Summer's Day
    • With Hope and Hard Work
    • Towhee & Currant in Spring
    • Sparrow's Hop Hideaway
    • Windswept Pine Near the Shore
    • Sparrow's Spring
    • Autumn Grasses (Oribe Tribute)
    • Life's Essence
    • A Tribute to Itchiku Kubota: Ozette Sunset
    • Cathedral of the Trees
    • Tree of Life II
    • Raven's Forest
    • Baillie Scott Trinity
    • Eagle Embraces Her
  • Paintings 3
    • Hydrangea's Final Bloom
    • Pine Island
    • Autumn Friends
    • Maple Leaves in the Stream
    • Plum & Full Moon in Spring
    • Chickadee in the Quince
    • The Four Guardians
    • Circle About the Moon
    • Eelgrass Nursery Rhyme
    • Bluebird & Bamboo
    • Capercaillies Under Scots Pines
    • Cedar Green Man
    • Cats United
    • Serizawa's Kimono
  • Paintings 4
    • Hummingbird & Fuchsia 4
    • Blood Moon in January
    • Yellow Flags by the Pond
    • Falling Leaves--Washed Away
    • Goldfinch Dream
    • Camellias in Bloom Woodblock Print
    • Autumn Carpet
    • An Eala Bahn (The White Swan)
    • Two Eagles Entwined
    • Horse Ema
    • Lucia's Maple
    • Eagles Spring Dance
    • Watts Chapel Tribute Memorial
    • Voysey's tree
    • Hot Otter Love
  • Blog Page
  • Other Work
    • Paintings 5 >
      • č’u•? is Seal
      • Loons & Horses
      • Elk Along the South Fork
      • Spirits of Ozette
      • Lingcod Guardian
      • Plum Blossoms in Spring
      • Hops & Butterflies
      • Journey Home From Ozette Island
      • Tsooes Sunset
    • Trays >
      • Dragonfly Tray
      • Kaiseki Tray
    • Boxes >
      • Rose Tree Box
      • Celtic Bread Box
      • Creature of the Box
      • Skagit Valley Chest
      • Kells Cats Chest
      • Miyamoto's Rice Box
    • Karakami Square Series >
      • Karakami Square #1: Cherry Tree
    • Screens >
      • Eagles 2-Panel Folding Screen
      • The Four Seasons Screen Series >
        • Fall Screen: Canada Geese & Maples
        • Winter Screen: Eagle & Pine
        • Spring Screen: Cherry Trees & Finches
        • Summer Screen: Swallows & Willow
      • Frog's House Screen
      • Waterfall Screen
    • Peacock Sconces
  • Resources List
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  • Gifted Art & Personal Collection
  • Ginkgos & Waxwings
  • Autumn Moon by the Sea
  • Eagle's Pride
  • Curious Crow
  • Goldfinch & Thistles
  • Nuthatches' Pine Home
  • The Frog Poet
  • Kingfisher on a Branch
  • Chickadee in Snow
  • Dogs of the Sea
Picture
SPIRITS OF OZETTE
 ACRYLICS ON CEDAR W/ RED OAK FRAME
(WINTER 2013)
     Ozette (Hoset) was one of the five winter villages of the Makah Nation.  About 300 to 500 years ago, a mudslide covered several houses at the Cape Alava village site with a thick, anaerobic glacial clay.  The clay preserved the organic material culture of the people inhabiting the houses.  I was fortunate enough to work at the Makah/WSU sponsored archaeological dig in 1975 and 1976 (where I met my wife, Leigh).  When the houses were excavated, archaeologists found an amazing array of wooden artifacts representing everything of use within the houses at the moment of the mudslide.   Living and working at the old village site for over a year had a profound impact on my life.  It was also a very spiritual time for me, especially during the isolated, rainy winter of 1975.  My painting hopes to reflect this special time for me.  The red formlines symbolize organic aspects (life) while the black formlines symbolize inorganic aspects (death).  Beneath the “stratigraphy” of the landscape abides a humanoid figure within a shed-roof Ozette-style cedar longhouse.  A carved yew seal oil bowl found at the site inspired this image (see Richard Daugherty & Janet Friedman, “An Introduction to Ozette Art” in Roy L. Carlson (ed.), ©1976, Indian Art Traditions of the Northwest Coast, page 188).  Several prints also acted as inspiration for this piece, including Roy Vickers’ 1975 print “Oola! Oola! Seal! Seal!” (see Edwin S. Hall, Jr., Margaret Blackman, and Vincent Rickard, ©1981, Northwest Coast Indian Graphics: An Introduction to Silk Screen Prints, page 65) and Moronobu’s “Cherry Blossom Time at Ueno” (see Ukiyo-e; 250 Years of Japanese Art, by Roni Neuer, Herbert Libertson, and Susugu Yoshida (©1979, Gallery Books 1988 edition, pages 56-59).  Contemporary Kyoto painter Shoraku Sanjin’s 4-panel hand-painted screen (byobu) entitled “Pine Tree” was also very helpful.  Finally, the opportunity to visit Neolithic chamber-tombs in Orkney (specifically Maeshowe & the Tomb of the Eagles) provided inspiration and background for the spiritual aspects of the painting.  I made the frame out of red oak using pegged, hand-joined, mortise-and-tenon construction methods.  I used the Japanese technique (shou-sugi-ban) of charring and oiling the oak to finish the frame.


DIMENSIONS:      LENGTH:  21.5 inches
                               HEIGHT:   17 inches

                                                               PRICE $450
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