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Firewalk
Art by: Gary
James (Black Bear)
Created: Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Firewalk is fashioned from the
following:
Slate, Perduke wood, Coal, Fired rock, Sand,
Lightning struck lemon wood (Florida), Copper
Lightning struck female black walnut (Apps Mill, Brantford ONTARIO
CANADA),
Hickory wood, Ebony, Lawyers cain, Vegetable ivory (tauga nut),
Various paints stains and tongue oil
The Story of
“Firewalk”
Firewalk was born in understanding of the Feminine spirit of
regeneration in the harshest of conditions in the sacred hoop of life.
It is a human reflection of the nature of Mother Earth and the mind of
man.
There were two beautiful straight and tall walnut trees standing side
by side on a road amid wild flowers and a canopy of other hardwoods
and white cedar. A storm had spoken to the female walnut tree with its
voice of lightning and left its story emblazoned on one of her upper
limbs.
The tree continued to grow and was healthy. Acting out of fear with
vision of seeing the tree dropping its branch on a passing car a
caretaker thought it best to cut the tree to firewood leaving its mate
to stand alone.
I approached the man as he cleaned up the mess of small limbs and
leaves and explained to him that I was a sculptor. In the car I had a
finished piece of work and showed it to him. He was taken with it and
asked me what had inspired me to sculpt it.
I explained, "The same sort of inspiration radiates now from the
fallen one and her mate that now stands alone. I asked him if I may
have a piece of wood to carve the story of the tree. He looked down to
the cut pieces, then upward to her living mate, standing alone..
"Take all the wood to carve", he said with lowered head.
"Let me see it when you are done?" Sure I replied ... but I
never saw that man again.
FIREWALK From one world to the next
Through the fire she walked
Through the lightning of inspiration
To the hearts of those who can see
With creations dream …
Imagination
From the
earth we have eaten Before we were born
From mother earth into mother
Our bodies Formed
Our first breath given by trees
Their leaves
The breath of life
Living
I give thanks to the roots that run deep
Without and within me
Mothers Manyhelpers
Manyhelpers
has been sculpted from the tap root of the Bur Oak
