God’s Creation: The Circle of Life Shadow Box Series

When I look out across the land of Pickens County, South Carolina, I can’t help but visualize what the land must have looked like before the invasion of foreign people. The indigenous Cherokee had an incomparable respect for this land, and revered their “Great Spirit.”  As I researched Pickens County, I couldn’t get past the Cherokee and the appalling Trail of Tears. The designs, feathers, shells, and other natural materials symbolize things that were of ceremonial significance to the Cherokee people. The polymer clay is a tribute to Cherokee pottery. The glass beads and hand-made papers signify how even the art of the Cherokee changed after the invasion of the many foreigners who took advantage of these honorable Native Americans.

I grew the gourds used in the shadow boxes in my organic garden. Gourds have an historical significance in many cultures. While I took some artistic liberties, these pieces are rooted in the history of the “Land of the Blue Mountains” that the Cherokee loved so dearly. It was my intent to honor the original inhabitants of the county in which I now live.