Questions about Native Song

For three years, I feared drawing faces.   Then an artist/friend pushed me out of my comfort zone to investigate lessons from a unique art instructor.   Impressed by what I was told and saw,  I decided to commit.  I made the 16 hour drive to meet Maureen Killaby in  Tyler, Texas.

The subject, Nokia, Native Song, is a photograph of a young boy taken with permission during a tribal ceremony of one of Canada's "First Nations". 

Creating the background took nearly 5 hours.  The instruction lasted 6 days.  The investment of time and money was worth every minute and every penny.

I took some artistic liberties to maximize the apparent spiritual significance for this young man.  I prefer to believe he was celebrating a "coming of age" event, so important to link his community to it's heritage.

Remembering this lesson, it occurs to me that I also came of age while creating this portrait under the direction of my patient instructor. She developed my confidence and extended my own artistic technique beyond the comfort and ease of drawing houses and landscapes.

Now, reflecting on that lesson via "social media" (a vehicle also outside my comfort zone),  I'm attempting to extend my art and it's influence to a larger community with wishes for a Happy NEW Year.

Thank you, Maureen, for this lesson.  Check her website:  maureenkillaby.com.

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