1/20/12

New Work for a New Semester. Red-wing Blackbirds and Taniwha

 I am painting  a flock of Red-wing Blackbirds each on their own panels. These were inspired by the strange events that happened mainly last year and parts of this new year, when thousands of birds fell dead from the sky. 

This is my new 2'x6' oil on board painting. It is of a Taniwha Longfin Eel. A Taniwha is a guardian animal that protects natural resources in Maori culture. In freshwater it usually takes the body of an eel. To kill one brings bad luck and ultimately death. To see a Taniwha is a warning against whatever you are doing that may be endangering the eels or the environment. In this painting the eel is being killed which signifies the destruction of the environment and the death of the 'notion' or belief of the Taniwha.