Fire, Fury, & Resilience: Totem Witnesses and Turtle Wisdom
Fire, Fury, & Resilience: Totem Witnesses and Turtle Wisdom
Fire, Fury, & Resilience: Totem Witnesses and Turtle Wisdom
“Alone in my Oregon studio the world rushes in and I have a compelling need to give form to the local and global events reshaping our lives. They are Climate Change, the Pandemic, Border Crossings, and Social Justice. How have these events affected us, our families and communities? How can we each express our pain, resilience and hope? Totem Witnesses and Turtle Wisdom became my response.” — Betty LaDuke
Please join Calyx magazine in ekphrastic appreciation of the artist Betty LaDuke. Visit the show and write your response. Details at https://www.calyxpress.org/betty-laduke-exhibition/
Artist’s Statement
Women of the world, from mud and thatch huts or urban dwellings, inspire my art. ...
Witnessing their dignity, creativity, and resilience as they attend to their families, farm, teach, participate in communal, social, and political events, and utilize their aesthetic skills in fulfilling traditional or personal needs—they are my role models. ...
A flow of human energy, rooted to survival rhythms, rites of passage, and the expression of joy and sorrow, in peace and war—these are the themes of my work. ...
These women, young or old, are my goddesses. My paintings embellish their lives—our lives—between myth and reality.
