BLUEMONT VA - White represents plant medicines and has popcorn, peanuts and cotton -  all grown by Native Americans first.
    Have you ever really looked at pop corn closely? For me, it was the hardest thing to paint on this four-directional wine barrel.
   The fish is walleye and swims in the local rivers.

BIG REVIEW
"Big Review" of 32 wine barrels painted by local artists is scheduled for Saturday June 4th 9 AM to 1 PM at the Grand Opening of the Farmers Market located at the Shops at Maple and Main in Purcellville, Va. 
    This four-directional art barrel, by a Lumbee Indian, shows contributions Native American Indians make to the Northern Virginia area. 
    Please if you can stop by and see all the barrels and meet the artists on June 4th. 
    Then, the barrels will be placed at their sponsors location between June 4th - 10th. They will remain at the sponsors location through the fall. 
    Barrels are for auction at The Bush Tabernacle (aka Skating Rink) November 12th 7 PM. Huge event!! And night to remember. 

Point of Contact: Michael Oaks Painted Barrel Coordinator, Purcellville EDAC Member

     On the black side I stained it a dark walnut color and painted black walnut trees, nuts, stone tools, black berries, mulberries, poke-weed, walleye fish and butterflies.
     Walnut trees are the last to get leaves and first to lose their leaves. Their leaves are yellow just before they fall. 
     This is part of a red, yellow, black and white four-directional wine barrel I am working on for the Loudoun County wine barrel challenge.
     The design is a Native American medicine wheel shape representing: east, south, west and north with things Native American Indians first grew and contributed to this area and the world.
     The black side of the wine barrel represents the West and "introspection/death."
     One of my mother's favorite foods is black walnuts. She can no longer eat solid food. She has dementia and is slowing entering into the West.
      I believe in death there exists the possibility I will see my mom there one day, and my father and brother. 
     I was always taught, if you share a butterfly with someone, it means you want to spend eternity with that person. This side of the barrel has lots of butterflies representing hope for eternal life for us all with our loved ones.

​     With red berries and tomatoes complete, on the yellow side are corn, sun chokes, sunflower seed, squash, beans and melons etc - all grown by Native American Indians first.
     Near the bottom I painted a Sun Perch fish. I love painting fish! These perch swim in our local rivers and lakes here. Years ago, Indians used fishing weirs (rock formations) to capture fish like these at single points in the river.

​     On the barrel’s upper and lower "staves" I painted local words like, Sycolin Creek, Wankopion Branch, Hunger Run, Conoy Island, Seneca Falls, Rappahannock River, Catoctin Mountain River, Massanutten and Shenandoah – names Native American Indians used to describe what is now our streets, schools and homes.

GETTING STARTED
     The first paint is for red tomatoes. I think most people think of Italian food when they think of tomatoes, not that Indians grew them first. Actually, some say Indigenous peoples of the Americas contributed 62% percent of all food that the entire world eats today.
     On the front of the wine barrel I painted red raspberries. The front is where the plug or "bung hole," still wafts of fermented wine from Maggie Malick Wine Caves in Purcellville. 
     ​Berries make good wine; and Indians contributed all kinds of berries. This marks the East where the sun rises beginning this visual 360 ecological and historical tour. 
     More later ...

"LISTEN"
wine barrel art by Rene' Locklear White (Feather)
​May 2016