Two animals on the planet we share, I would like to choose as my spirit animals. One is the wolf. The other is the grouper. Groupers are a species of salt-water fish that inhabit the East Coast from maybe Norfolk, Va. to the Florida Keys. Groupers are well-known as an edible item on any decent seafood menu. But as a former snorkeler complete with speargun, I can tell you that, at least for Scuba folks and those who like to dive and spear fish, a grouper is the wiliest fish of the reefs. You will not spear a grouper once it sees you. It knows what you are, and what your intentions are. And before you have gotten your finger on the trigger of your spear gun, it has turned and whisked off. This is true of all species of grouper. And they all look like elegant torpedos.
Which brings me to how best to render them in art. I make jewelry, so there’s a grouper necklace, with gemstones that represent aspects of the sea. The ocean has definitely influenced my work, whether jewelry or painting. And on land, the forests, the trees, hillsides, changing weather, and the wolf. There are wolf necklaces. There is also a painting entitled ” at the crossroads”, showing a white wolf. I think all of us are at a crossroads every minute of our lives. In a fraction of a second, we make and execute decisions that will alter the course of our lives.
I have been making jewelry since 1987, where I set up shop regularly at the Sunset Celebration in Key West, Florida. I always painted here and there but never seriously. Gold, silver, and gemstones is what paid the bills then, and what still pays the bills now. Enjoy your tour.