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Magic Hour 02
February 28, 2022
Magic Hour 02, the Gitxsan Totem, Thunderbird Park, Royal BC Museum, Victoria BC, Canada, 24H x 18W inches soft pastels on paper. Framed size 33H x 27W”.
I first painted ‘Magic Hour‘ in acrylics on canvas, started July 17th, 2008, with additional blog posts on July 24th, Aug 3rd, 6th, and 15th, 2008. The painting is 60H x 40W x 3D inches ($1,100).
Symbols/crests: The bird at the crown is a giant woodpecker (wee-get-welku). Legend reads that a female ancestor kept a pet woodpecker, feeding it so much it grew to be a giant monster that ate everything made of wood until it was killed. It sits atop 5 human figures who stand on the head of the Mountain Eagle (Skim-sim), who kidnapped and mated with a woman then devoured their offspring. The eleven small figures are humans fishing through holes in the ice. Under them and not pictured in the painting is Will-a-daugh, also known as “Person With a Large Nose”, holding her child who was conceived from a wood grub.
A word here about any artists’ representation of First nations or any other cultural/historic works: subjects are painted with the greatest honor and respect, with the purpose to study and also draw attention to the importance of appreciating our multi-cultural world. This is what artists do. Our differences as cultures are connected across time and place, as there are many common traits and themes expressed through Art everywhere.
The originals of all the totem poles erected in Thunderbird Park on the grounds of the Royal BC Museum in Victoria, Canada are now protected from the effects of weather inside the museum. The totem portrayed in this painting is a replica of the Gitxsan Pole that was moved in 1958 from Kitwankool, BC. This version of the pole is named Skim-sim and Will-a-daugh, belonging to Chief Wiha (Wee-kha, Ernest Smith), the chief of the Wolf Clan. Only the top 3/4 of the totem is portrayed here. Totem replicas in Thunderbird Park were carved by Mungo Martin, chief carver, Henry, Tony and Richard Hunt (this one 1960).
Categories: Art for sale, B.C., Canada, history/multicultural theme, semi-impressionist, sky, soft pastels, sunsets | Comments Off on Magic Hour 02
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