The Hawk

This painting went through many transformations, layers, additions, subtractions.  An artist friend liked the original design and put my hawk painting on earrings…on guitar picks.  Quite creative. 

In the Native American tradition, as I understand it, because Hawk flies high above everything below, he has a larger perspective.  I can get so caught in my small story that I lose sight of what’s beyond and larger than this small mind and the concerns of the moment.

When I’m out hiking on a mountain trail and I see the hawk gliding overhead, I am reminded to step back for a more expansive view of what I’m calling my reality.  There is relief in that.

I don’t remember exactly why I chose to paint the hawk.  Perhaps there was a real need to see things from a different perspective.

I appreciated the development of this painting over time.  I continually tried to perfect the hawk.  And to emphasize him emanating from the background.  It’s one of my favorite paintings.  The frame of the canvas became warped so that it doesn’t sit flat on the wall.  Yet, I have it where I see it daily.  It has a meaning to me that I can’t put into words.

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Today, in a time when we can get very caught up in our small frame of life, when it’s hard to see beyond the moment or to feel safe, is there some perspective you can take if you look over the whole of your life so far?  Imagine yourself hovering over the landscape of your life…can you see a pattern, an abiding theme?  Is there something that is apparent that weaves this life of yours together?  Can it support you in some way today?