Hand painted 30 sandhill cranes

Stephen S. Visher (1910) writes:
The sandhill crane is one of the most conspicuous birds of the prairie region. Every farmer boy knows its call, and on fair days has seen large flocks soaring at great heights, slowly passing northward. Constantly their unsurpassed calls drift down to earth. When only a slight wind is blowing, these rich, buglelike notes can be heard father than the bird can be seen. Several times I have examined, for some moments in vain, the horizon before the authors sailed in view. On windy or rainy days, the flocks fly low and swiftly in a direct line, and each individual croaks in turn. Thus slowly the music moves along the undulating, curving line.

My passion with sand hill cranes has been going on for along time. It's becomes seasonal, marking of the changes of winter to spring and fall to winter each year the great winged bird migrate North to South and back South to the North.
So I felt it was fitting to have them at the top of the tipi.  They do this circling many times during their migratory journey. And that circling which I relate to in my own life sometimes looks a little like chaos...but then it smooth out and their off riding the warm thermal of air currents.   While other birds might migrate at night...the Sand Hill Cranes are mostly day travelers.

 I didn't paint the flaps of the tipi...I could have, but decided to leave them the natural color of the canvas...then they move in the winds smoothly...not that I want them to move in the winds like a sail boat but they won't be so heavy.

Off to class today...doing some demonstration on Image transfers...