THE PARROT'S NESTGary has finished his 2011 spring project. Mine is still incubating (going on a year now, almost as long as an elephant's pregnancy!)
Just as many artists use cultural symbols in their work, such as Santa Fe, tribal motifs, eskimo art symbols etc, Gary likes to relate to his ancestry with Celtic weaving, and tie the cultural beliefs and symbols into his designs.
He is moving away from the traditional bowl configuration and is now working on sculptural pieces. His latest piece is along the same lines as his last sculpture, but a bit larger, and more detailed.
It's a canteen gourd that has been taken apart, carved and painted to resemble a bird's nest and put back together.
The front is a pencil crayon drawing of a Macaw, showing all the beautiful colours of the feathers.
The sides are a carved and painted profile of the Macaw with cut-outs so that you can see into the interior of the nest. Inside are 10 golden eggs.
The back is inverted and fully carved with a celtic motif of two parrots interacting. Rather appropriate for inside the privacy of their nest, I think!
The top is carved in scrollwork that says "Parrot Nest".
A friend found the following information on the site of Sacred earth-Sacred art.
CELTIC MYTHOLOGY: MACAW known for their higly coloured and exotic plumage, these birds are highly intelligent and resourceful creatures with a great sense of fun. The energy of this bird is said to symbolize bringing 'colour and vibrancy' back into our lives, and also aid our communicative skills. Also thought to help us with both 'emotional and physical healing'. The feathers of the Macaw are highly prized by some cultures and are used in ceremonial costumes. To work with Macaw energies is to link with the energies of Mother Nature. Macaw can help us to increase our psychic and spiritual development. This bird is also strongly allied to the energies of the Sun, and therefore linked with masculine energies, helping to bring balance to the male and female aspects of self. It is also believed that Macaw energies can aid us by helping us to heighten our perceptions, our intuition, our understanding of our inner voice. Thought also to help with calming emotional anxieties and bringing about a sense of balance.
The large dragon gourd, which is about 2 feet round was shattered during home renovations by "unknown" assailants. I think someone dropped a 2X4 on it. LOL We've promised our niece and nephew that we will repair it if possible.
The Samurai Warrior was given to my son in North Carolina and was proudly displayed on his mantle. It is made up of several parts, all carved and decorated with Inlace, which has also been carved and inlaid with a second colour. His curious cat wanted to check it out, and bumped it off onto the floor. I'm not sure if we can repair it, since we haven't seen it yet.
