Return of the Yei

Cliff Pueblo


The studio is still one of my favorite places in the house but it has not been where I paint. For most of Covid shut down my focus has been on fabric. First with masks to protect my sister and her fellow nurses and then my friends. Then there were scrub caps. Gradually I got back into fabric creations and the Fabric Arts by Jacqui page was launched. In the first months of forced isolation and the governor's pronouncement that arts were nonessential I wanted my blankie -- soft and comforting material. Canvas seemed cold.

Besides I had just finished a couple of End of Days series of paintings. Cliff Pueblo above was my last. And I began Return of the Yei just before the shit hit the fan as it were. The Yei were  Navajo Gods who returned to the people to save them. Maybe I didn't believe we would be saved, but I stopped work on it until this week. In fact I forgot it was taking up space on my easel. I even forgot how to adjust my easel.

Before beginning to work the fabric had to be put in a safe spot. And I had to check if all my expensive liquid watercolors had survived the 15 months of storage. Seems some had not. But in my frenzy to not be caught without art supplies I had bought new, not yet opened. And new canvas in case I wanted to continue the series.

So below is the work in progress photo of the Yei today. I feel wedded to the work at this point. Though I did find works I had begun and am not wedded to stored in various spots around the studio. But this one was on the easel for over a year. I wanted to finish it by the exhibit opportunity on the 26th but that may not be happening.

But I will finish it.



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