Paskwâwi Mostos

 An older guy walked into the studio the other day and asked me to look at two pieces of art to see if they might have any value. George has a habit of dumpster diving and pulling out treasures that have been tossed. He shared a couple of stories of items that truly had great value that he had found. These did not. 

One was a tacky art piece framed in glass. The other was a Wal-Mart decorative piece in a solid wood frame.

"The best that you can do is drop them off at the Salvation Army," I told him.

"I really don't want to put them back on my truck," he said.

I gave them another look and said, "Tell you what. I'll give you $40 for both. Maybe I can do something with them."

George was pleased as punch and walked out of the studio with a couple of $20 bills.

I took the one in the solid wood frame apart earlier today and discovered that the crappy artwork was done on a 24" x 36" piece of 1/8" thick masonite hardboard. I was immediately inspired to cover it up  with white and paint something on top of it.

My subject ended up being a bison that I had photographed while travelling on the Alaska Highway in August. I decided to place the animal against the backdrop of the Alberta Foothills and Rocky Mountains. 

At first, the painting was a slog, as the surface was rather rough. However, once I had a few layers on, it went way more smoothly.

I ended up calling the finished painting Paskwâwi Mostos, which is a Cree phrase.

Thanks to Deanna for making the brilliant suggestion and sharing this history. 

Paskwâwi Mostos
24" x 36", acrylic on hardboard
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