It started five days ago, weeks after I had gone on a search for ideas about Native American symbols. Inspired by the artist's use of maps, colors and symbols, I kept thinking while painting four use-up-old-paint 4x6 pieces, just for play. My thoughts had been going toward incorporating an outline of the USA map and some symbols. I contemplated colors once I had the icons and had traced the map on watercolor paper. Here's some of my ideation.

Luckily I found a horse on a piece of old scrapbook paper, and I had some photos of trees. I kept thinking about using marks on the map in red, white and blue while marginalizing signs of native life around edges since Native Americans were forced to change to fit into USA life. Still thinking about what to do with the opaque map, I untaped my playtime mess, figuring I'd  use it for something at some time in the future. I didn't know that future was the next day.  As I looked at raggy edges taped unevenly, the colors actually looked sorta cool but needed to be glued into one piece. I knew those 4"x6" paintings were about to meet their destiny as it occurred to me to trace the map on a tissue-type paper to collage. Then it wouldn't be opaque, and colors would soften a bit but still show. 

And so it began. I turned the symbols into stickers by using clear packaging tape and printing them on a laser printer. These turned out usable and took Posca ink and acrylic ink, but the tissued area was more fussy. So, I learned while I figured it out what worked where.  

This whole project took me longer than any other I've done for a Skillshare class yet, but I loved the surprises during the process though the result still had a few quirky spots. Onward! 

Judy W-B

Note: Credit for use of the little painted horse goes to my granddaughter, now 14, who painted it when she was about 9. She is an artist in her own right!