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The Heart of Hawk is #11 in my series of birth totem animals. It represents people born between March 21 and April 19. The painting of this piece went relatively smoothly. I knew what words I was going to write almost from the very start, and that seemed to keep me focused in the painting. I had fun with the feathers, creating patterns with dots of color. The hawk in the painting is roughly modeled after a Red Tailed Hawk, but I took lots of artistic license!

I've always been attracted to hawks, and living in a rural farming community gives me great opportunity to interact with hawks on a regular basis. This year we have a family of Sparrowhawks (really, they aren't true hawks, but falcons) living close by, and they delight us with fly-bys as we sit on our deck in the early evenings. We've also had a pair of Swainson's Hawks that nest in the old cottonwoods - they return year after year, raising their broods. It's fun to watch the babies as they learn to fly! Once in awhile a Red Tailed Hawk will hunt in our fields, but it seems like we see them in the larger fields that we pass on our way into town. They like to sit up on the utility poles and wait for a snack to come by. Lots of times we see them with some unfortunate snake gripped firmly in their talons as they wing off to a perch to eat.

Those born under the sun sign of the Red Hawk are likely to be adventurous and assertive. Along with creativity,
they harbor a desire to be free and unencumbered. Those people closest to them may consider them to be a bit
headstrong at times.

• Birth and animal totem: Red Hawk
• Moon: Budding Trees Moon
• Season Aspect: The Awakening Time
• Wind Relation: East Winds
• Directional Relation: North-East
• Element Relation: Fire
• Elemental clan: Hawk Clan
• Plant totem: Dandelion
• Mineral totem: Opal
• Polarity with: Falcon
• Color Aspect: Yellow/Green
• Musical vibration: C Sharp
• Personality: Active.

• Spiritual energy ¹: Feminine energies
• Emotions: Quickly aroused
• Positive traits: Pioneering spirit
• Negative traits: Impatient, selfish and often times egotistical.
• Compatibilities: Salmon and Owls
• Conscious Desire: To lead, manage head the adventure.
• Subconscious desire: Learning through experience.
• Spiritual Path: Expanding the individual through discernment
• Strengths: Persistence and patience with others
• Weakness: Conceit and intolerance.

Finished (I think!) this one last night - now only two more paintings to go and my birth totem animal series will be complete! Wolf is the birth totem animal for those born February 19 - March 20. I've borrowed some info on Wolf from one of my favorite websites,  www.springwolf.com

Birth Totem Summary: The Wolf

Birth dates: February 19 - March 20 Earth influence: The Blustery Winds Time Influencing wind: The North Winds Influencing direction: North-north-east Predominant elements: Water with Air Elemental clan: Frog (Water) clan. Birth and animal totem: Wolf Plant totem: Plantain Mineral totem: Jade Polarity totem: Brown Bear Affinity color: Blue/Green Musical vibration: F sharp Personality: Compassionate, Benevolent, Generous, Artistic and Gentle. Spiritual alchemy: Yin predominates. Starting totems: Wolf, Buffalo, Frog, Plantain, Jade and Brown Bear.

Feelings: Deep Intention: Understanding Nature: Trusting Positive traits: Sympathetic, Adaptable, Impressionable and Sensitive. Negative traits: Impractical, vague, timid, indecisive. Sex-drive: Tender Compatibilities: Woodpeckers, Brown Bears and snakes. Conscious aim: Freedom Subconscious desire: Identity Life-path: Love Must cultivate: Intuition, Creativity and Understanding. Must avoid: Timidity, Indolence and Impracticality.

I thought I'd show the progression of this painting so far. Although it hasn't been going as quickly – or easily, as Otter, I am nonetheless having a good time painting Wolf. This is my 4^th Wolf painting in the overall totem animal series. This one is for the Birth Totem Animal series. Wolf is the birth totem animal for those born between February 19 and March 20. Some of the sources I use to study totem animals say that the animal for this time frame is the Cougar. It is interesting to me that two totally different animals could represent the same birth time. But for the purposes of this series, I am painting Wolf – maybe because I identify with Wolf, who has shown herself to be a wonderful teacher in my creative life.

“Wolf is the pioneer, the forerunner of new ideas, to teach and share with others what they have learned. Wolves have an enormous sense of family as well as a strong individualistic urge. Baying at moon is wolf's desire to connect with new ideas just below the surface of consciousness, for the moon is a symbol for psychic energy.” - excerpts from "Medicine Cards" by Jamie Sams.

I started this painting a bit differently than I usually do, experimenting with laying in a dark pattern in the background. The whole painting is drawn a bit looser, freer.

In my second session, I went in and fixed a few drawing problems, then started fiddling with the background until I made it WAY too important!

When I picked up the brush the next night, I added more paint to Wolf's body, sort of patches of color. Mad some mud and had to wipe out a bit! I decided the background was too distracting, so went in and made it less contrasty. It occurred to me while I was painting that this was one of the Wolves that appeared to me a year and a half ago when I took a workshop to help discover my personal totem animals with Suzanne Rougé.

Last night when I painted I decided to darken the background to make Wolf pop a bit more, and worked on creating more form in Wolf's body. Also added a crescent moon…and writing at the bottom. Close to completion, but not quite there yet.

The Heart of Otter is Bathed in Joy. Otter is the birth totem animal for those born between January 20 and February 18.

Birth totem otter is an individual who has incarnated into this particular lifetime to immerse him/herself in the fountain of knowledge. As such, these souls will be in continual search of information, ideas and concepts that will provide a refreshing fountain from whence he/she will thirstily drink. However, as the fountain of knowledge is an eternal and never ending source, in their enthusiasm to glean as much knowledge as quickly as possible, there may exist a tendency within these individuals to skim the surface, rather than explore the deeper waters that would result in truer understanding.

I have to say Otter was one of the most enjoyable paintings I've ever worked on - everything seemed to fall into place almost effortlessly. Even the challenges were fun. This is the 8th painting I've completed in the Birth Totem animal series, and it is fun to see how they all fit together. As I've been painting each individual, I haven't been thinking of how they would hang together, other than I knew I wanted them all the same size and square format. But now that I have eight of them done, I am pleased how each "month" relates to the one preceding it and after it.

I started working in series about two years ago, finally following the sage advice of my friend and mentor, pastel artist Clive Tyler. I must be a slow learner, because he told me that many years ago, when I was a student of his in a pastel class. At the time I was painting mostly landscape and had begun incorporating barns into my scenes, and eventually I got to the point where the painting was mostly about the barn. But the concept of working in a dedicated series eluded me until I began my "Equine Spirit" series. The Birth Totem animal really resonates with my personality - I tend to like to mix things up a lot - not much of a "routine" type of person. So having the challenge of a different animal for each painting but keeping the format consistent has provided a great platform for me to explore and grow.

Woke up this morning to a rather pungent smell wafting in through the open window. Could it be? Yes! Jackson, our JRT/Aussie mix went head-to-tail with our resident skunk, who has made her home under our shed. All is well with her living there...or at least WAS, until Jackson discovered her a couple of weeks ago. The other three dogs seem quite content to let the skunk live in peace. But Jackson, he is obsessed, as only a JRT can be. Seems that when the genes of his parents mixed, he got a large dose of terrier-ist! So there I was at 7 AM, giving him a bath. Such is life in the country, especially in the company of canines!

Speaking of dogs, I noticed, when painting Otter last night, that there is something very dog-like about otters. At least that is how Otter is presenting himself to me. Painting Otter is such a joy! Everything seems to be falling into place - while not "effortless", it is not frustrating either. I'm having a blast! Otter seems to be telling me to loosen up, let go, just paint! And so last night that is just what I did.

As I just painted, trying to be as mindless as possible, I noticed that Raven and Owl had joined in the fun - you can see them in the body of Otter. I don't know if they'll stay, but for right now I'm enjoying having them along. I like the way the water parts where the body of Otter cut through the surface tension and dove joyously into the mysterious, liquid world. The shape made where air caresses water reminds me of a coast, or the border of a state. Or it looks like a liquid tornado, or the swirls of clouds in outer space. I am drawn to this place that exists somewhere. A place where my spirit can play.

Otter is the birth totem animal for those born between January 20 and February 18. Although Otter is not my birth totem animal (I was born at the time when Raven and Snake move together), I think Otter has come to tell me to loosen up, let go, relax, play and stop being so darn serious all the time!

I can't wait to get back in the studio and see what games Otter has in store for me!