Painting on Leaves

So many leaves scattered around the Harriet Tubman Memorial  as I walked past. I reached down to pick up a multicolored leaf.

I remembered the teachings of the Old Ones. Indigenous people are caretakers of Mother Earth and realize and respect her gifts of water, air, and land. First Nations people have a special relationship with the earth and all living things in it. This relationship is based on a profound spiritual connection to Mother Earth that guided Indigenous peoples to practice reverence, humility, and reciprocity.

First Nations, Inuit, and Metis knowledge is strongly linked to the natural world: Indigenous languages, cultural practices, and oral traditions are all intimately connected to the Earth. 

These teachings inspired me to paint portraits on fallen leaves. The first portrait I painted was of one of my heroes -  Harriet Tubman.