Photograph

Prairie Dog (Cynomys)

A species of burrowing ground squirrel, Prairie Dogs are native the the grasslands and plains of the northern Midwest United States. Closely related to marmots and chipmunks, their name is a complete misnomer outside of the fact that they can look as if they are barking or howling as they jump straight up and make yipping noises for various reasons, including as a warning to others of a potential danger. Primarily Herbivores, they do occasionally consume insects, in addition to their usual salad of grasses, roots, seeds, and fruits. Burrows that the prairie dogs dig can be as long as 30 feet and up to 10 feet deep under ground. Many of these burrows are dug in close proximity creating “towns.” Towns consists of up to two dozen family groups that can each contain a couple dozen members or more.

Location

Badlands National Park, SD

This is a national park that I have passed through a number of times on my way out west from Memphis, or on my way back. I have yet to intentionally go to Badlands and stay for a couple of weeks so there is still much to explore, but I do find it to be a wonderfully beautiful and quite unique landscape from many other places. The history of time that if immediately evident when looking at the lines of different eras in the bare buttes all around is quite breathtaking. In shape it is a very unique park as well, long and skinny, the main road takes to straight through the park and allows you to get a decent sense of the entirety of the park relatively easily. I also love a drive through at minimum and look forward to uncovering more secrets of this place.

FRAME

Pecan (Carya illinoinensis)

The Pecan tree is a type of Hickory that is native to the mid south region of the United States. Although it is pronounced many different ways, typically depending on what part of the country you are in, the technical correct pronunciation is “pea-con”. Do with that what you will. One of the most recently domesticated of the major crops, Pecans are now a 265 million pound harvest. Globally, over 90% of the world’s Pecans are grown in the southern United States and Mexico. The beautiful light wood of the pecan tree is used a good bit for furniture and flooring.

THE ELEMENTS

Fire, Water, Earth, and Air

In the display case in the bottom of the frame, four items are preserved glass vials. The items represent the elements: fire (wood charcoal), water (mineral oil), earth (soil), and air (a milkweed seed). I include these items in my work as a symbol of the interconnectedness of all life on earth, and as a reminder that humans must do better.

THE PLAQUE

I engrave a wooden information plaque for each work. The plaque includes what the photograph is of, the location of the photograph, what type of wood the frame is made of and where I got the wood from. The plaques also explain what the vials are in each display case, and even state the meaning of my logo. The plaques are attached magnetically and can be removed to read or to store on the back of each frame if you prefer not to have it displayed on the front.