FoxSpell

The FoxSpell series was conceived within the Front Range Mountains of Colorado where Violet, a wild black fox with copper eyes, auspiciously appeared to me during a cold, winter sunrise and there remained during a time of emotional turbulence. My estranged mother was suddenly dying, and with that, challenging memories and beliefs confronted me. I was in need of this very companion, a muse, and some intriguing reflection of my soul. During this time, I wrote, drew, painted, collaged, and took endless photographs of Violet, the spectacular land, and all its inhabitants. Her presence comforted and inspired me.

During her daily visits, Violet began to observe me as I hid patiently, faithfully, in bushes, hoping for the perfect picture: a stag with impressive antlers or a humpbacked moose, a speckled woodpecker or golden eagle with its piercing eyes, or, more profoundly perhaps, the three-legged coyote that occasionally labored through.

I was out there, uninterrupted for days, alone in tall, scratchy grasses, awaiting magnificent sights like the quarreling of hummingbirds and hawks hunting. With the passing of seasons, Violet and I witnessed raven and magpie battles, sat in pouring rain, and relished grand, double rainbows. Yet regardless of the moments captured, Violet’s company remained unmatched. Singing to her, trying to connect, I would giggle and delight in the perplexed cocking of her head, the pivoting of her large, black, velvety ears. Sadly, the days where we adventured side-by-side dwindled, as the emotional turbulence subsided and a joyous sense of self and peace arrived.

This experience reaffirmed my beliefs around employing art to transformative ends and in the healing power of nature. I aim to encourage others to embrace their own evolution in the tranquility of nature. Nature holds and unites us, and I desire to help guide others to what I have found, so that they too can gain access to their own inner world, one filled with personal meaning and insight - through creative endeavor.

 The FoxSpell series is the artwork birthed during that time and I hope it captures the magic I experienced under the spell of a wild black fox, affectionately called Violet.