(Acrylics: 24X36)

I was given a gift a few years ago and it has always made me reflect on totems. The gift was a small wooden container perhaps to hold paper clips and other small desk items. The lid has a tile embedded in the wood with the images of a wolf and cougar facing a Native American peace pipe. Totems are held in high esteem, honored, by tribal and traditional peoples of different cultures. Totems can be personal or group guides, gardians, or it might be an overall identification of a clan, a group of peoples. It made me think of the many beliefs, lucky charms, held by almost everyone I have ever known to date. In a way, we all have some kind of totem and in my mind it encompasses the various belief systems as well. Some clubs have an animal's name as sort of a mascot as do schools and sports teams. Under a larger umbrella in my mind, I can sort of see the various idols, even those of various belief systems, as totems. This painting is my rendition of the images on the lid of the wooden container.

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