More Raven Tales

"When Beaver Stole Fire from the Pines"

oil, 16 x 20 Sue Favinger Smith @2010

The subject for this painting is drawn from a Nez Perce story called How Beaver Stole Fire from the Pines,  which I discovered on the United Cherokee Ani-Yun-Wiya Nation website.  They indicated that the story was first recounted for the American public in the Journal of American Folk Lore, 1890.  This was a period in American history when ethnologists went out to the people of the First Nations and attempted to "preserve a culture" before it was completely assimilated.  Not all stories would have been recounted.

As with all First Nation storytelling, there are multiple layers of meaning: some seek to explain the natural world - why mountains and rivers are shaped the way they are, and others speak to moral or behavioral dilemmas, codes of conduct, heroics and honoring the earth and all who inhabit it. 

Many First Nation Stories are deeply personal vessels containing the most sacred elements of culture, and are not in the public domain.  As I've researched subject matter for this series, I've learned that if a story is not connected to its cultural roots, it loses meaning.  And - as with painting - it is necessary to "find the story" first, to make that connection of meaning, and in context. 

From an artistic standpoint, I knew that I did not want to merely "illustrate" a story.  A core belief of First Nation culture revolves around honoring the wisdom in the natural world, in the ancestors, "before there were people." I feel that to merely illustrate - to depict a scene from the storyboard - would be to diminish the purpose of the story.  I needed to first find the story, find the personal meaning within the story, and then attempt to communicate in paint an idea, a starting point for the viewer to step in where I have left off and find his or her own connection.

When Beaver Stole Fire from the Pines is not a safe painting.  In a way, Raven Stealing the Hat from Fog Man was "safe."  It was a basic notan painting, using the bold gestural marks that we expect in the Abstract Expressionist tradition.  It communicated a clear idea.  The painting "presented" itself to me fully formed - in that subject matter, composition, approach all worked together to communicate an idea.  No doubt other work in this series will also utilize this visual approach, when it is an effective means of communication.  But the Beaver painting needed to be something else.  It needed to express some of the mystical qualities in First Nation storytelling, when Raven, Coyote, Beaver were not yet animals, nor were they entirely Indian. 

It needed to be "almost real." 

Comments

[Bleubeard and Elizabeth]

I found your blog through an internet search for artists blogs. I am delighted that I clicked on your link because you have what I would call an eclectic blog, full of information, advice, and awesome art.

I feature a blog each day and today (Aug 16), I am featuring yours. Thanks for your inspiring blog.

[Casey Klahn]

Fantastic! Love this artwork, Sue!

[Sue Smith]

Hi Nina ~ thank you for the encouragement! Yes, these are different from the landscapes, more of a concept painting, and a lot ofattention goes into preliminary sketching and the geometry of the composition since I must draw nearly entirely upon imagination. I use reference material for things like what does a ravens beak look like andwhat might a beaver lodge that belongs to a mythical creature look like - in that case, it was an upside down birds nest! Imust also draw upon what Ive already learned aboutpainting the landscape, or in the case of Raven, what gestures and paint handling would best convey the idea. It is much more exhilarating when the concept and paint come together, but it is also far more difficult to hit the right note so to speak, and right now Im succeeding 50% of the time, and 50% of the time the paintings turn into something else. Ive realized it is very important to me that the end result honor the story and not become a parody.

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[Nina]

This one is absolutely fantastic! I hope you'll continue on this tack, but of course it's all up to you, isn't it? How does it feel compared to the landscapes?

[Sue Smith]

Hi Bridget - thank you for your encouragement. This project is unlike anything Ive ever done - I am discovering that I have to take so many more risks with not only the paint but with theemotional content and its good to know that I am communicating that in some small part.

Donald - Thank you, too - your feedback also reinforces thedirection of this project. It is both exciting and daunting in a way, because finding the right approach for each idea is notas easy as I first imagined. I have painted four paintings in this series so far - and two of them have slipped back into the traditional landscape mode because the idea behind them did not translate well enough at this time. I would encourage anyone thinking about trying this approach to do it regardless of the challenges - it will push you in the right direction no matter what the outcome.

Thank you all for taking the time to comment and interact with this blog. Please contribute your thoughts and ideas, too!

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[Donald Diddams]

These two paintings (Raven and Beaver) are incredible. The very difficult project you have undertaken breathes life into them so they are so much more than "just" paintings. Congratulations!

[bridget hunter]

I'm enjoying the stories behind the paintings and congratulations on this work which I think does as you intended even though you thought it was an unsafe way to go.