The Greater Sage-Grouse are upland birds unique to North America, known for their elaborate mating dances and entirely dependent on sagebrush for survival. Due to the “loss and fragmentation” of its sagebrush habitat the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined in 2010 that the greater sage-grouse was warranted for protection under the Endangered Species Act. The sagebrush ecosystem supports a… Read more →
The eye, the organ by which the world is seen, has long held an elevated place in collective mythology. Recall the eye of Horus, commonly represented with a spiraling line below it like that of a hawk, who soars above all and sees all. In some spiritual traditions such as Hinduism, the eye (known also as the third-eye) represents the… Read more →
This still-life gave me a new appreciation for the American Buffalo. The bison skull used as a model in this painting was borrowed from a local blacksmith. It so happened that the skull was the very first bison skull I ever had close contact with. Lifting it was in itself a workout, heavy and unwieldy as an unbalanced kettlebell. The… Read more →
While discussing the power of storytelling and the tradition of rites of initiation with Joseph Campbell, Bill Moyer, in ‘The Power of Myth’, asks whether movies today have replaced the ancient rituals wherein the young are given instruction in the mythology of the tribe. Campbell agrees, but offers the following reflection. “That might be our counterpart to mythological re-enactments –… Read more →