Night Warrior

An American Indian warrior kneels by a camp fire with his knife in one hand and his other over the fire. His face is painted and he looks at the you, the viewer, as if you were expected. He wears leather leggings and his shoulders are draped in the furry hide of a bear. Behind the Native American man, thousands of stars fill the sky.

I rarely make night scenes, but a recent commission I had required me to do one. I created this image largely to practice night time lighting, but I liked it so much that I decided to go ahead and publish it to my gallery.

Thanks for looking,
Daniel

Bear Hunt

This is a scene from the Blackfoot story "The Bear Woman". In the story, a woman refuses to get married, much to the consternation of her family. One day, her little sister follows her into the wilderness to spy on her and learns that she has taken a bear as husband. She tells her father and brothers who then find and kill the bear. Later, the Bear Woman gains the ability to transform into a bear herself. After slaughtering her village, there is a chase between her and her brothers who eventually kill her, but, having no people to return to, they ascend to the skies and become the stars of the great bear constellation.

The part of the story I've depicted here is near the end where the brothers clash with their sister who has taken her bear form. Two Native American warriors on the backs of mustangs encounter a massive brown bear on a snowy field under cloud filled evening skies. The lead hunter draws back his bow and takes aim from galloping mount, while the other holds aloft his lance as his horse rears. The bear charges savagely, kicking up a shower of powdery snow as it roars in anger.

A few weeks ago, I created another image from this same legend that takes place near the beginning of the story (you can find it here: http://bit.ly/XW1IGe). I liked that one so much that I decided to make this one as a follow up.

Thanks for looking,
Daniel

Uktena

Native American folklore has no dragons, but there are a couple of close analogs. One is Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent, of the Central American cultures which looks a bit like the oriental dragons. In North America, however, there is the Uktena, the horned serpent, found particularly in the Southeast.

Uktena was a giant snake covered in shining scales with horns on its head and a single giant crystal, called Ulun'suti, in it's forehead. They lived in the water and were often associated with the elements of storms: rain, thunder, lightning. Its breath was said to be lethal (though not specified as fiery, this is still another similarity with dragons).

One particular legend involving Uktena, is that of Aganunitsi. Aganunitsi was a powerful Shawnee medicine man who was captured in a battle with the Cherokee. Rather than being executed by his captors, he volunteered to hunt the Uktena and bring the Ulun'suti back to them. He searched for the beast through the southern Appalachians. As he got closer to the great snake, he started to encounter giant frogs, snakes and other monstrous reptiles made so by their proximity to the Uktena. Eventually, he finds the Uktena near Gahuti Mountain (in what is now Fort Mountain State Park in North Georgia). He kills the beast and returns to the Cherokee with the jewel and afterwards lives with them as an important member of their tribe.

I especially like the legend of the Uktena as, being Creek folklore as well as Cherokee, it was likely told of by some of my ancestors. Also, the story of Aganunitsi takes place from not far from where I live. I've actually hiked Fort Mountain State Park.

When it comes to stories like this, there is generally no canonical version and the details are often different from one telling to another. I decided to add my own detail in that the hero is carrying a musket and powder horn rather than the more traditional bow and arrow as such weapons were quite common among the southeastern tribes in the late 18th century.

Thanks for looking!
Daniel

Stormwatcher

An American Indian woman stands on a grassy hillside. In one hand she holds a rifle, while, with the other, clasps her fur shawl tight against a chilling wind. In the distance, lighting forks down from a dark menacing storm that rolls across the sky towards the setting sun.

This the latest in my Native American themed series of artworks.

Thanks for looking!
Daniel Eskridge

Teepees

Three teepees (also called tipis or tepees) stand on a grassy hill in the plains of the American west.

This is the latest in my series of Native American themed art. For this one I was going for a more minimalist composition that what I normally do.

Thanks for looking
Daniel

Jumping Mustang

A Plains Indian rides a pinto coated horse as it jumps over an old wooden fence. The native american warrior hold aloft a spear as his mustang leaps into the air. Dense dark smoke fills ther air obscuring the backround and wisping along the ground, a sign that a massive fire burns nearby.

This is the latest in my series of Western art featuring American Indians and mustangs. It is a variation on my Jumping Horse work from a few weeks ago.

Thanks for looking!
Daniel Eskridge

Teepee

An Indian teepee (also spelled tipi and tepee) is pitched near the mountians in the American Wild West. It sits on a hill covered in long golden grass and overlooks a valley full of evergreen trees. A layer of morning fog still clings to the valley floor. Dominating the horizon is a massive snow covered peak under a clear blue sky. This is no ordinary mountain though. It is a dormant volcano with a clearly visible crater. Smoke drifts out of the teepee's top as someone inside cooks breakfast and tries to stay warm.

This is another entry in my Native American series of western themed art. For this one I really wanted to focus on the volcano, but, I felt it needed some evidence of humanity in the foreground. As someone who goes camping quite often, I know the value of a campsite with a great view, I decided to pitch a tent in this scene.

This artwork was created digitally using CGI techniques using the computer application Vue as well as more traditional painting techniques in software called GIMP.

Thanks for looking,
Daniel

Hawk Warrior

An American Indian warrior stands upon a rocky cliff side. On his arm sits his best friend, a red-tailed hawk. The man wears dark brown and red war paint on his face, arms, and bare chest and carries as tomahawk. Both he and the hawk look across the forested valley dominated by an ominous, jagged, snow peaked mountain.

To many Native Americans, hawks are a powerful spiritual symbol, though, the meaning does vary from tribe to tribe. To some, they offer protection from evil spirits and represent the elements of storms, to others the represent speed, dedication, and good vision. The feathers of a Red Tailed hawk are often considered sacred and are used in ceremonies much like eagle feathers. Possession of such feathers is subject to the Eagle Feather law.

This digital artwork was created using CGI techniques as well as some more traditional painting techniques.

Tools used: Poser, Vue, GIMP, Photomatix