a sense of place

As I write, wolves and coyotes are being persecuted in the US and Canada. There are coyote killing contests and bounties; they are hunted down and torn apart by hounds; they are being trapped to trim winter coats.

As an advocate I do my best, but then I feel helpless and just can’t stomach the awareness, so I turn to making art.

 The artwork below represents winter where I live on the Niagara escarpment. There are coyotes up here, and although I rarely see them, I hear them at night and it is a privilege. 

 Beautiful Vagabond (winter), encaustic on found panel, 6x16in, 2013, available

While working on this, I was thinking about urbanization and whether we will ever live harmoniously. As well as a sense of place and connection, I hope the imagery conveys a wee bit of optimism…