Ground and Sky study 1 . shed rattlesnake skin and mute swan feather . 5 x 7 inches
I am still struggling to find ways to incorporate flattened, shed snakeskins into my work.
I’ve always been drawn to feathers because they represent one of my basic desires: to fly; to move about freely in the air with no restraints. Now i am confused because I also feel a strong pull toward these shed snakeskins which, if anything, represent the opposite of feathers. So I find myself this summer lying on the ground, feeling the pull of gravity and the closeness of the plants and soil. Although I am unable easily slither and move about anywhere near the grace of a snake.
In partial recognition of this concurrent pull to the earth and to the skies, these opposing but complimentary forces, I tried out using both themes in several small studies. Here is one. What do you think?
This is only 5 x 7 inches because that is the widest that the largest width of the rattlesnake skin I have. I would like to find some larger snakeskin sheds. Do you know of anyone with a 20 foot python?