Rick Bartow
Conversation, 2000
drypoint on handmade Japanese kozo
image 3 3/4 x 7 3/4 in
paper 10 x 12 3/4 in
paper 10 x 12 3/4 in
Edition of 20 plus 1 artist's proof
BAR0962
Copyright R.E. Bartow Trusts
$ 800.00
published at Moon & Dog Press, Tokyo / South Beach. In 2005, Rick Bartow commented on the Coyote, sometimes referred to as Dog, in his work: 'There are numerous stories...
published at Moon & Dog Press, Tokyo / South Beach.
In 2005, Rick Bartow commented on the Coyote, sometimes referred to as Dog, in his work:
"There are numerous stories regarding coyote: he’s a prankster, a gambler, never satisfied, and a slow learner. I often illustrate aspects of his inability to learn self-discipline. Coyote is always moving, never sitting still, always searching, always hungry. The lessons not learned haunt him, and he wanders."
"Coyote’s lover is taken away to the land of the dead. He begs for her return and his wish is granted only if he can leave the land without touching her. He loves her so much that he cannot resist touching her, so he must leave without her. Coyote is forever roaming the land looking for his lover, hoping for her return, and howling his sadness."
"Bears and coyotes are both inhabitants of this place that my family and I call home. It’s a logged over back country, berry rich and criss-crossed with beaver dams, and wetlands. Coyotes are heard if seldom seen and when they are observed they are as the myth describes them "always going”, travelers like my Wiyot grandfather who came north from California and my white grandfather who came west from Idaho. The bear is a shy ghost in the brush who has been around us a number of times as we were cutting fire wood for our sweat house ceremonies. The berry bucket used in the piece "Bear with Humor" was my grandmother’s and appears to have been used to mix plaster later in its life prior to my utilizing it as a sculptural element. The bear piece was inspired by a blind southern folk artist’s scarecrow and Tlingit armor."
In 2006, Bartow reflected on his relationship to salmon:
"Through my participation in ceremony at our Sang Song Salmon sweathouse my relationship with the salmon is strengthened by song, prayer and experience as the salmon spawn in the creek that flows 20 feet from the sweathouse door. We have many "new" stories to add to the "old" stories and the drawing in discussion would certainly be fueled by these facts, however it is not an illustration of any one story. It is, like a majority of my work, a piece that "occurred", born of personal experience, respect and reverence for ceremony and renewal."
Originally told by Rick Bartow to Truman Lowe while at NMAI. Truman shared with Rebecca Rockom, August 30, 2016:
Rick was camping by a river and had set up a tent. Early in the evening he made a fire and was having a quiet moment: contemplating the scene, thinking about his day and considering what the next day would bring. Later, he crawled into the tent, but couldn’t get to sleep; he kept hearing voices in the distance. The sounds got closer and soon he could understand some of the words – conversations about taking a trip. The voices headed upstream, so Rick got out of his tent and went down to the river. He looked up and down the river, but couldn’t see anything so went back to his tent. Again, he heard the voices! So Rick got back out of his tent and this time went into the river. He then recognized the salmon talking to one another about their day and their upcoming plans. Just a regular end of day conversation.
In 2005, Rick Bartow commented on the Coyote, sometimes referred to as Dog, in his work:
"There are numerous stories regarding coyote: he’s a prankster, a gambler, never satisfied, and a slow learner. I often illustrate aspects of his inability to learn self-discipline. Coyote is always moving, never sitting still, always searching, always hungry. The lessons not learned haunt him, and he wanders."
"Coyote’s lover is taken away to the land of the dead. He begs for her return and his wish is granted only if he can leave the land without touching her. He loves her so much that he cannot resist touching her, so he must leave without her. Coyote is forever roaming the land looking for his lover, hoping for her return, and howling his sadness."
"Bears and coyotes are both inhabitants of this place that my family and I call home. It’s a logged over back country, berry rich and criss-crossed with beaver dams, and wetlands. Coyotes are heard if seldom seen and when they are observed they are as the myth describes them "always going”, travelers like my Wiyot grandfather who came north from California and my white grandfather who came west from Idaho. The bear is a shy ghost in the brush who has been around us a number of times as we were cutting fire wood for our sweat house ceremonies. The berry bucket used in the piece "Bear with Humor" was my grandmother’s and appears to have been used to mix plaster later in its life prior to my utilizing it as a sculptural element. The bear piece was inspired by a blind southern folk artist’s scarecrow and Tlingit armor."
In 2006, Bartow reflected on his relationship to salmon:
"Through my participation in ceremony at our Sang Song Salmon sweathouse my relationship with the salmon is strengthened by song, prayer and experience as the salmon spawn in the creek that flows 20 feet from the sweathouse door. We have many "new" stories to add to the "old" stories and the drawing in discussion would certainly be fueled by these facts, however it is not an illustration of any one story. It is, like a majority of my work, a piece that "occurred", born of personal experience, respect and reverence for ceremony and renewal."
Originally told by Rick Bartow to Truman Lowe while at NMAI. Truman shared with Rebecca Rockom, August 30, 2016:
Rick was camping by a river and had set up a tent. Early in the evening he made a fire and was having a quiet moment: contemplating the scene, thinking about his day and considering what the next day would bring. Later, he crawled into the tent, but couldn’t get to sleep; he kept hearing voices in the distance. The sounds got closer and soon he could understand some of the words – conversations about taking a trip. The voices headed upstream, so Rick got out of his tent and went down to the river. He looked up and down the river, but couldn’t see anything so went back to his tent. Again, he heard the voices! So Rick got back out of his tent and this time went into the river. He then recognized the salmon talking to one another about their day and their upcoming plans. Just a regular end of day conversation.