Kelly Church: Talking with the Manitou (Acryl on canvas, 50×40 cm, 2000)

Kelly Church

Kelly Church describes herself as a painter of the “Woodland style”. Her ancestors are the Anishnabe people. In her painting she picks out as a central theme what the early legends of her ancestors tell… – – –  This also applies to the picture “Talking with The Manitou”: Kelly Church indicates the room with the water thinned colors green, blue and reddish brown which are situated in the breadth of the picture over each other. By applying the colors with plenty of water these “slip” to the tertiary area. Strongly thinned applies vary with compressions what gives to the stratifications from below up a distinction also within an element. – – –  On the ground of the water everything had started until the country and the air were then conquered. (I agree on the air at the color thinning as such.) The fish therefore forms the scaffolding the further life-forms are based on: Fish, bear, crane, man. A central position befits apparently the crane. He is surrounded by a deeply replete red which gives him great strength. – – –  The colors of the represented living beings are more certain the condensed colors of the represented surroundings.… – – – In their concentration the cloudiness of the colors is disappeared and they arrange an intensity, which can stand for a self-assured inner attitude. Being centered in one’s inside creates an active access to the outside world.…

Every being has its own development, symbolized by the spiral which is connected similarly to an umbilical cord with every living being. The necessity of dividing the umbilical cord off can be a metaphor for a permanent metamorphosis which is demanded from us in our existence. Nevertheless, the divided off past is living further causing the next evolutionary steps into us.  I imagine that the spirals carry all information of the career of the respective creature as a species in themselves like also as an individual. A rational insight into the hidden notes of the past only can grant by unrolling the spiral and decoding the released information… – – –  Furthermore, I imagine this umbilical cord – spiral while being unrolled surrendering its secrets (= stored information) and recognize: Actually we always do everything namely in the fields of anatomy, archeology, art, geological history, linguistic research, medicine, paleontology, psychology, sociology and many other things more to come behind this secret.… – – – The spirals every being is carrying around are a beautiful symbol for those complicated connections…

My excursion to a possible rational grasping of the symbolism is quasi the communication level to which we have access today.

The small imaginary group surely has never been together so found. She is a symbol for the attitude of mind of the early Anishnabe people. They still had been in harmony of heart and intellect and felt the uniting between all creatures: every being was equipped with the strength of the Manitou… – – – Man had been in the face of the creatures surrounding him. – – – With that, communication had taken place at the level at which we feel the “divine” within ourselves. Nowadays we have left this level and feel merely an idea about it if we learn a “concussion” – what can be pain, mourning or something else shattering us.  Different forms of existence are carrying in themselves this strength of the Manitou, and therefore they are equal aspects of being. This was surely the central statement of the Anishnabe people. Their thoughts found expression in the pictorial strength of myths and legends.

 It had been surely an ability of the Anishnabe people then to be able of being absolutely present in body and mind what caused a high attention for the here and present… An attention for themselves, like also for all other beings: The prerequisite for “recognition” is to allow the inner truth of every nature. This creates in us a realizing of the inner strength being together inherent in all nature. This recognition actually is a getting award of the Manitou, the divine strength within everybody and -thing.… – – –  Interpretation: Renate Hugel

Kelly Church at her work:  Taken in the Gallery „pro art“ in Bremen, 2000

To the Person of Kelly Church:

Kelly Church lives in Michigan therefore in the north of the USA. This had also been the reason that – in addition – it had been a special experience for her to cooperate with artists from Oklahoma – and turned around.… – – –  Kelly Church has a great charisma of inner fullness; her nature always seems to be carried by positive energy. This is reflected in her working method: An abundance of material always was on her table for painting. The photo above shows the color sea which surrounded her usually while painting. This allowed her to create from the full one.… – – –  This was not everything yet; she had brought with her many other materials in addition. To this I will report about her in a further contribution. – – – Later I realized what a multifaceted personality she is and which excellent engagement determines her actions! (A contribution to it will follow in addition.) – – – Renate Hugel

Caddo Ceramic of Jereldine Redcorn

Left Photo: Jereldine Redcorn and her Caddo ceramics. Below: Dried ceramics before having been burnt. Above: Ceramics after the fire in the „studio on the meadow“. On the flyers to be seen on the photo: Jereldine Redcorn’s Caddo ceramic made in Oklahoma. – – – Right Photo: Jereldine looks at some work results. Both photos had been taken in the year 2000 in the gallery „pro art“, Bremen. – – – Renate Hugel

We, the group of Quintum, had the information about Jereldine Redcorn in the front-end that we should prepare an earth stove for her. The “studio on the meadow” from Roland Schneeweiss seemed to us to be ideal for this.

 

And so it came that we had dealt with the construction of an earth stove (see above)… – – – Jereldine Redcorn had made it to her own task to create in an example faithful manner Caddo ceramic of her Caddo – ancestors. – – – The first weeks we could see during our daily work in the gallery, how different forms of ceramic vessel arose from her hand.  She had apparently all the forms and their respective sizes internalized meanwhile so that she needed no more an “original example” to look at. Evidently, she felt easy by the hand to carve the historical motives to the surface of the individual vessels smoothed and polished with a stone. I noticed that – with all joy in her actions which she spread – she worked highly concentrated nevertheless! – – – After she had prepared a series of six vessels, she left them to the drying process.… – – – She had prepared with various materials, such as feathers, pearls, cords or buttons, for the waiting time starting now. – But – about this I’ll write later in the next contribution to Jereldine Redcorn!

The completion of her work, firing the ceramics in the earth stove – according to the way of her ancestors – had laid ahead now. For this we met in Roland’s “studio on the meadow” at a weekend. – – – At first a group of us had started to collect horse dung. Jereldine needed this to attain the desired surface hue. Heinz, Roland, Eva and Willi still had one old metal ton provided as an additional burning possibility. As had proved, the earth stove did not attain the necessary temperatures so that Jereldine preferred the ton for the fire. But later, she had to recognize how such a way to burn is dependent on the outside temperatures very much. The summer 2000 was not so hot in Germany; opposite this there were great temperature differences compared with Oklahoma! But all of us could not change these conditions. Finally, Jereldine accepted the not quite so perfect surface results.…

It almost had been physically painfully felt for me how hard it had been for Jereldine to accept the unsuccessful surface color. Her “dedication to her actions” had let me have the feeling how much love she is putting into her work! The more I dealt with Jereldine Redcorn’s work later, the better I understood which wonderful story hides behind her actions. I will report of it in a later contribution. Before it had become still really thrilling with Jereldine, like it can be read in my next contribution to Jereldine Redcorn… – – – Renate Hugel

Left photo: Test fire with the earth stove – – – Right photo: Jereldine Redcorn had fitted the metal ton with her ceramics. – – – Renate Hugel

Jereldine Redcorn when preparing the additions for the stove fire: Horse “dung” mixed with straw remains for example.

Left photo: Jereldine Redcorn examining the results of the ton – fire. Right photo: We, the group of Quintum, had equipped the „studio on the meadow“ of Roland Schneeweiss with this “sign of an encounter” – already before the beginning of the symposium. – – – Renate Hugel

Some examples of the work results of Jereldine Redcorn follow here: Ceramic vessels, worked after the example of her Caddo – ancestors.

Example 1: Spiral – Effigy (Caddo – Ceramic of Jereldine Redcorn)

Example 2: Duck – Effigy (Caddo – Ceramic of Jereldine Redcorn)

Example 3: Cat – Effigy (Caddo – Ceramik of Jereldine Redcorn)

Example 4: Head – Effigy (Caddo – Ceramik of Jereldine Redcorn)