Solstice Drummer was created over a long Alaskan Summer Solstice week. The rattle was meticulously and lovingly designed with a specific person in mind: this is my preferred method of creation.
I sat for hours that long weekend, around a campfire under seemingly endless sunlight and candlelight creating the essence of what the rattle desired to become.
I often travel to remote areas of wilderness with my camper, packraft and hiking boots. I bring all my artist supplies to fully immerse myself into the process of creating.
Solstice Drummer depicts the focused expression of a knowing elder, beating a drum under a turquoise moon in the shape of a heart.
The drum is made from birch bark, and the beater made from wood: these products harvested at a beaver lodge I had visited earlier in the day. Bluebell flowers and forget-me-nots make up the background, accented with acrylic paints. The Drummer is wearing a sash with toolbag and ulu made from home-tanned leather skin.
I spent a full day exploring a large lake in my pack raft, eventually paddling down stream in it until I came across a flooded forest where the beavers had dammed the stream. The beavers came out to see me, and I decided this would be a good place to harvest some natural products for the rattle.
The Sun & Moon on the back are made from numerous wildflowers that I harvested throughout my weekend hikes: yellow marsh marigold, fireweed, arctic prickly rose, forget-me-nots, bluebells, fox glove, yarrow and more.
I hiked down to the river canyon, through a recent forest fire. The wildflowers were blooming heavily here, where once spruce and birch primarily existed. This was a great place to harvest fresh, vibrant products for incorporation into the rattle.
The rattle has a pyrography base and is accented with acrylic paints. It is mounted on a very unique antler tine from a Kobuk Valley caribou. It has some crystals wired to it and also some additional turquoise, located underneath the mountain goat fur.
This is just one example of how I go about performing my work: taking time to harvest the natural beauty of my environment and putting my heart and soul into the piece over the course of many days.
Hiking, paddling, harvesting, reflecting and incorporating.
Soul Shine Rattles 
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