The Wildness Within

Teton Sioux Medicine Man

Title : TETON SIOUX – Medicine Man

Medium: Pastel and Prisma pencil drawing 15″x 19″ By: JimJ

This drawing was made in honor of the Native American Shamans or medicine people that I have studied with over the years.
The shaman here is invoking a dream vision of the location of the buffalo herd for the Buffalo hunt.

Prints : jamesjohnson@nvc.net

Sitting Bear – Arikara

Title : SITTING BEAR – ARIKARA

Medium : Pastel and Prisma pencil drawing 15″ x 19″ By : JimJ

I found Wildness in the faces of the native people. In the eyes that saw the natural cycles and the deep furrows of the land engraved in the face of Sitting Bear an Arikara chief from the plains, where I live on the ranch.

For prints – jamesjohnson@nvc.net

The Great Horned One – Bubo virginionus

Title: The Great Horned One – Bubo virginionus
Medium: Pastel and Prisma pencil on paper 15″x 19″
By: JimJ

In 2007 the woollies were exploring the theme of darkness. I wanted to make a drawing of a great horned owl hunting in the darkness. The great horned owl is considered the ‘tiger’ of the forest because of their ferociousness.

On the ranch we lose small dogs, cats, turkeys and chickens to these guys. We find them in the morning missing their heads. For some reason they only take the head. Maybe that’s why they are so wise, they just eat the brains.

This drawing is one in a series of close up drawings of wild animals that express Wildness in their eyes.

For prints – jamesjohnson@nvc.net

Brother Hawk – Buteo harlani

Title : Brother Hawk – Buteo harlani
Media : Pastel and Prisma pencil drawing 15″ x 19″ By : JimJ

When I started to draw brother hawk I started with his eyes. It is difficult to find the words that describe the feeling one has after looking into the eyes of the wild .

It is said that the eyes are the windows to the soul. I think that its soul is Wildness.

For prints – jamesjohnson@nvc.net

Spirit Totem #1

This photo is the first in a series of 13 photos. They are an example of being in the right place at the right time. While fishing on our 9 Mile lake, I photographed this shoreline as horizontal. After printing the photo I looked at it vertically on my desk. The faces jumped out at me as if to say “We are here.” The vertical line of the Spirit Totem faces showed up in that Transcendent Space between the bark and the tree, the two worlds of reality and non reality, the polar opposites of time & space, ying & yang, black & white, up & down, in & out ….where Spirit lives.

For prints – jamesjohnson@nvc.net

Spirit Totem #2

For prints – jamesjohnson@nvc.net

Spirit Totem #3

For prints: jamesjohnson@nvc.net

Spirit Totem # 4

For prints: jamesjohnson@nvc.net

Into the Pale Mist

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The Old Poets of China

Wherever I am, the world comes after me.

It offers me its busyness. It does not believe

that I do not want it. Now I understand

why the old poets of China went so far and high

into the mountains, then crept into the pale mist.

Mary Oliver

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Title: Into the Pale Mist

For prints : jamesjohnson@nvc.net

Dakota Dusk

It isn’t to often that a photograph makes me feel like I have seen this scene before. It reminds me of an Old Masters Landscape Painting.