Arctic Wolf ‘’Spirit Catcher’’
by
Sandi Baker
The ‘Spirit Catchers’ began with a vision. I could imagine a se- ing indigenous wildlife. They made the statement that I’d hoped
ries of unique paintings that would remind the viewers of the for when hanging together in the gallery, and people really
old ways, and that our wildlife is precious. I wanted the viewer to seemed to respond well to them. They can still be seen in my on-
come face to face with their spirit animal, their wise guardian line gallery at www.wolfsongstudio.com. The Spirit Catcher cre-
and protec-tor. I wanted the series to remind the viewer of the ated for this article will be auc-tioned off along with many other
magic that they themselves possess within. All of us have that Artists’ wolf art to benefit The Wolf Sanctum, a non-profit wolf
ancient spiritual connection with the animal world, but at times sanctuary. The Sanctum can be found at www.wolfsanctum.org.
I feel that we’ve forgotten our kindred spirits. And so ‘Spirit Sanctuaries like this one are the only hope for many unwanted
Catchers’ were created to remind us of these things, and to wild animals, and you can help such places oftentimes by donat-
take us back to the simple, elegant way in a glance. ing art!
The original Spirit Catcher series consisted of five pieces depict- And now to begin....
First I collected dried branches from the Cut off any sharp edges, twigs, and just I used a knife to remove the bark. Here
brush pile. You may use any type of wood generally trim them up. This looked like a you can see one finished, one in the pro-
that you prefer, just try not to use wood good frame layout to me so I chose these cess of bark removal, and one in it’s origi-
that is terribly green. Try to find four or four pieces. Every frame you make will be nal state.
five pieces that are of similar size, cir- different.
cumference, and shape.
I like to leave a bit of bark on for added Here they are with the first stage fin- Now I sand them thoroughly. I make sure
texture and color variation. This process ished, this should give you an idea of how that the entire surface is smooth and
is time consuming. It is basically ‘whit- much bark was left. that there are no sharp edges. This takes
tling’. Remember to always cut away some effort. I feel every part of each
from yourself for safety. frame quarter to make sure there are no
snags.
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