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••••• Elizabeth and Dee’s bison features cranes, which symbolize peace.••••• Elizabeth Stromme, My background is urban Chicago, but now live a most rural lifestyle. My interest in art, as in life, lies in mystery, the magic, movement and flux of everyday life. I work as a small Studio Fiber Artist. Through workshops, research and experimenting I became my own teacher and learned such Surface Design Techniques such as Shibori, Batik, Direct Dying and Painting. Manipulating fabric through various processes embellishes it with color and pattern, in the end, wearable art clothing is created. Multi media collage is also one of my curiosities. I am the VP of the Nelson County Arts Council and also teach workshops in the region. I have been a student of the North Dakota landscape for the past 27 years and find that the fluidity of the broadviews, seasonal textures, the sway of color and the open spaces, affords me a sense of freedom that I have not found anywhere else and all have played a major role in my personal and artistic development. Work in the collections of Companies and private individuals. Bio-Dee Abbate,Ed. D. Presently, Director, Southlake Educational Center, College of Lake County. I am a Native of Illinois and grew up in the Chicago area. I am a portrait painter with work in the collections of universities, companies, and private individuals. Over the years, I have introduced community based art in the U.S. and Mexico, and have taught art, initiated arts organizations, and given arts residencies. Artist Statement: The other reason we wanted to work on a Buffalo is because, as Sisters, we look forward to being together. Traveling together or working together on creating art are opportunities for us to learn more about each other and deepens our relationship as siblings and friends. We are collecting memories and stories and discovering much about life. How we felt about the Project in the beginning, how we chose the concept and how it has evolved..Dee is a regular visitor at the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo, Wisconsin. Visually, they are very beautiful and graceful, a image that would be a joy to paint and so, our concept revolved around a beautiful vision, one of hope and peace as seen through the images of graceful cranes and the Buffalo itself. Hope, for the success of the efforts to re-establish the Whooping Cranes to their original range, which not only included Wisconsin , but also North Dakota before they became nearly extinct. We also kept in mind what the cranes signify and that is long life and happiness. The Buffalo itself, stands for Peace. Then there is the Japanese tradition of folding a thousand origami cranes and that becoming a universal symbol for peace and well being, which equals our shared vision and wish for the world. We wanted to depict , through the circular migration of cranes around the Buffalo, that we are all connected in this hoop of life and though we come from different cultures, all around the world people continue to hope and embrace the same heartfelt desires for more peace in the world. That was our thought in October, when Dee and I sent in our application to the Arts Council for consideration. On December 3rd, everything changed. My oldest Son, Zach Stromme, was killed in a snowmobile accident on Pelican Lake, Mn. I wanted to withdraw when I found out we were offered a Buffalo just a few days after his service. I thought about it threw for several days and decided that what Zach would do, that I would do also and knowing him, I knew just exactly what to do. I called Dee and told her that Zach loved architecture, traveled much, both home and abroad and returned with many photos of him on statues, sitting in their laps, hugging them and inappropriately groping them, in total admiration. Zach lived life in sixth gear and had such a physical presence in life that the Buffalo's symbolic spirit was a perfect match for his. I heard a voice that kept saying, "Mom, just do it!" Dee agreed and added that our concept transcends the circumstances and that we will paint as tribute to Zach's life and spirited will and dedicate the Buffalo in his name. So we changed a little, but kept much of our original idea. The cranes have taken on even more symbolism, they are messengers from our physical world to the spiritual realm. I know this is true because we have had, unexplainable and more than coincidence, signs , in winged form, that Zach approves of Pace and he is curious, as in life, to see what becomes of him. Instead of the Buffalo calf woman on the head of the Buffalo, my Son Nick, suggested the Tree of Life, a Celtic icon that represents immortality and the evolution of our souls journey. The two eggs in the nest on the Tree of Life are Whooping Cranes eggs, they lay two of them. Instead of the one universal child, in the desert folding cranes, it is now two children, my two boys, sitting together folding cranes. The metallic gold paint in the right figure, which is Zach, represents his spiritual presence in our life now, you see it as well in the wings of the birds. Nick and Zach , sitting and letting go of a paper crane is a metaphor now of them letting go of much , but holding on to more and what that becomes after such a loss. Dee says that " the two boys I painted on Pacelo are my expression of love for Nick and Zach , and my joy in the memory of their northern plains childhood. The crane-words and images of the returning Sand Hill Cranes represent a wish for peace and for the health of the planet. I hope that all living beings are cherished today, now, for life is fragile and impermanent." What people have said about the Herd Project. |
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