The Prince Who Got taken away by the Spring Salmon (1995)

"Each species of salmon has its own chief and village beneath the sea. Each year their chief, a bear on land, greets them, as they come to spawn, then after the ritual birth rites, returns to the watery homeland, a fish once again."  This work was inspired by a Tsimshian "Button Blanket" which I saw in an exhibit of Native art from the area surrounding the Bering Sea, both North America and Asia,  called Crossroads of the Continents, in 1989.  Every time I see a photo of this work, I find myself charmed by it, and a smile, like the one on the bear, shines on my face and in my heart.  It has found a new home, returning to the area of its spawning grounds,  in the owners vacation cabin in Idaho.