Past Future Present: Life

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

Two months past harvest, stalks stripped bare; the new year two days future, winter's depths; a gift, sustenance beyond survival, abundance past existence, a present — life.




All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

#TBT: Ancient Spirits for a New Year

Photo copyright Wings, 2015; all rights reserved.

It's #ThrowbackThursday on this New Year's Eve at The NDN Silver Blog, and today, we're going back five years or so and looking to history — truly ancient history, and the spirits of its time — for guidance as we cross the threshold into the new year. This was a commission based on a previous version that had already sold. If it speaks to you, Wings can easily create a version uniquely your own, in whatever combination of stones (and "stones") that most appeals; simply inquire via the site's Contact form.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. As always, sales are much needed, so shares of the site links are much appreciated. And to our clients, friends, and family: We wish you all happy, healthy, joyous, and safe celebration this evening.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Present: Rest

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

Sleep, hibernating, dormant: the gift of slumber to save body and spirit . . . for a new present.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

A Gift for the New Year

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's our final Wednesday feature of Wings's current work for 2015. As we bid the old year goodbye, preparatory to ushering in the new, it's fitting that today's post should highlight his most recent masterwork. This is a big, bold, powerful piece that I absolutely covet, but I know well that it's meant for someone else.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. And, as always, sales are much needed, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Present: Balance

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

Long past, far future, a gift between . . . perfect balance.




All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Jewels and Gems: Mist and Smoke

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's the final entry in our Jewels and Gems series for 2015. Accordingly, we've chosen a stone that embodies the mist and smoke of that threshold between worlds — in this case, between the world of the old outgoing year and the world of the new one yet to come. These also represent a threshold of another sort for Wings: a stone all new to him, just sent to us last week by a dear friend, one he's looking forward to incorporating into his work.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Each of the six stones pictured in today's post is available for commissioning into a finished work; if one speaks to you, simply inquire via the site's Contact form. And, as always, sales are much needed, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Present: Flames

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

Fire and ice, burning cold and crimson flames; dormancy of past, promise of future — gift of present.




All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Monday Photo Meditation: Setting a Table for the Year

Photo copyright Wings, 2015; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's our last Monday Photo Meditation of 2015. It's a reminder of what it means to set a table, both for the year outgoing and the new year to come. Speaking of the new year, there will be a format change to this series, although the series itself will continue; see the note at the bottom of the post.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. As always, all photos are available for purchase in any of the usual formats; simply inquire via the site's Contact form. Also as always, sales are much needed (especially with a new round of bitter cold descending), and so shares of the site links are much appreciated.




All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Present: Together

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

Time to sit, commune, be joined . . . together, in the present.




All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

A Message at Year's End

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a fitting piece to close out our current Wednesday/Weekend series featuring Wings's work. I find the symbolism in it especially apt today for other reasons, as well. On a superficial level, it suits the weather outside the window, of course. On a more deeply personal level, such symbolism also speaks to Wings and me of a very particular loss, and of the lessons of a great man's life.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. inquiries via the site's Contact form. And, as always, sales are much needed, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Present: Christmas Lights

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

Garlands and gifts and ghosts of Christmases past and future, the memory of a child emerged again into the present.





All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Dancing Between Earth and Sky on the Winter Light

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a work to complement the one we featured on Wednesday — and to add a little transformative transcendence to a very cold winter's morning.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. And, as always, sales are much needed, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Present: A Christmas Tree

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

What makes us, what we become; a gift to each other, in the present.




All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Friday Feature: Christmas Spirit

Photo copyright Wings, 2015; all rights reserved.

It's a day off of sorts at The NDN Silver Blog, one in which we simply honor the spirit — and spirits — of Christmas. We have already been given the gift of a stunningly beautiful dawn here in this place, and the gift of snow will likely be here in a few hours.

There is nothing on offer for sale to day, no commerce of any kind to transact. For today, whether you celebrate the day as a holiday or not, Wings and I simply wish you all the best of the spirit of this season: gifts of peace, of joy, of hope, of love.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

A little Christmas Eve verse from the rez

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

[With apologies to Clement Clarke Moore, but I can't with these horses some days. Like today. By the time they were done trying to break each other's bones, this was forming in my head while I was mucking out stalls.] 

'T'was the day before Christmas
And these horses ain't shit
High on alfalfa
Now it really gets lit

One's trying to colic
It's the weather, I guess
One's got sand in his gut
And he's making a mess

One is a troll
She likes starting fights
She picked the wrong one, though
He near put out her lights

So they buck and they pitch
And they bite and they kick
One comes up limping
At least she's not sick

I in my muck boots
Out shoveling shit
I've had it with them
And Santa's snake-bit

Out Cree and out Shade
Out Miskwaki and Ice
Get outta my face
Y'all ain't worth the price

And I heard Santa say
As he gave 'em a pass
No Merry Christmas to y'all
You're a pain in the ass.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Present: In [F]light

A gift of flight, of light, in the present.




All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

#ThrowbackThursday: Evergreen

Photo copyright Wings, 2015; all rights reserved.

It's #TBT at The NDN Silver Blog, and today, it's a few past examples from one of Wings's signatures series, his collection of tiny evergreens in the form of Christmas tree pins. Some are from three years ago; the others, substantially longer ago. He's been fortunate over the last three years to have too many holiday commissions to permit him time to make more, but these are pieces that can be created (and worn) at any time of the year. If the design speaks to you, simply inquire via the site's Contact form; he can make a unique version all your own, with stones to suit.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. As always, sales are much needed, so shares of the site links are much appreciated. And we wish you all peace and joy and perhaps a little rest, safe from the winter weather, on this Christmas Eve.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

WHO. IS. THE. ELF?!

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

We almost didn't go into town today. Too much to do, and I have a migraine anyway. But She-Wolf needed her diabetic kibble to last her through the holiday weekend, and so we piled into the truck to run errands.

After the vet's we headed to the post office; I waited in the truck while Wings went inside to check the box. He came out loaded down with two Amazon boxes, one small one that was something we'd ordered (and had to re-order, as the first one was missing a crucial component); the other was enormous, and we pegged it for a bag of dog food from our wish list.

It was that [gestures toward photo, above]. Also from our wish list, but with no notification, and no card included to let us know who it's from. But it came just in time: That return? The item missing a component? Tomorrow was the last day to print the mailing label that would prevent us from having to pay for the return shipping ourselves.

The label is printed.

To Santa's elf, whomever you are, thank you from the bottom of my heart.


All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Present: The Tree

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

A ghost of Christmas Past . . . .

A gift of Christmas Present.





All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Lessons of Abundance

Photo copyright Aji, 2015;
all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's my overriding favorite among Wings's current inventory of works. It's also a piece that, in addition to its worldly beauty and great monetary value, serves as a reminder to me of the lessons that we impute to this holiday season: lessons that, according to the old way of our peoples, should be simply a way of life.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. And, as always, sales are much needed, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Threshold: Dawn

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

She whispers, urging us forward . . . into the light of the new year.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Jewels and Gems: At the Threshold of Winter

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a special Solstice edition of our Tuesday series on Jewels and Gems. Today, it's a stone that itself seems to embody the very threshold between autumn and winter, in spectacularly beautiful fashion.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. There are three individual gems pictured in today's edition, all of which remain available in Wings's inventory of stones. If one of them speaks to you, simply inquire via the site's Contact form; Wings can use it to create a work uniquely your own. And, as always, sales are much needed, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Threshold: Solstice

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

It is a threshold that comes to us to be crossed . . . and there is no going back, only forward.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Monday Photo Meditation: What the Light Knows

Photo copyright Wings, 2015; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a photo meditation on and for the Winter Solstice. Today, we consider what the light knows, and remind ourselves that we should know it, too. 

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. As always, photos are available for purchase in any of the usual three formats; simply inquire via the site's Contact form. Also as always, sales are much needed, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.


All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Threshold: Dream Bird

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

From other worlds, able to hear and heed a silent call.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Dancing for the Spirits

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a piece that embodies the spirit of the week just past, and the week to come. It's also one of Wings's most magnificent works, one of his most inspired in all his decades as an artist. This dancing spirit seeks its home, and seems to be very specific about where it is meant to go.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. And, as always, sales are much needed, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Threshold: Stalactite

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

Crossing the threshold of the world that holds the worlds, water and light wed earth and sky together.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

The Medicine and Mystery of the Morning

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's one of Wings's most mystical, most medicine-filled works, one that captures the spirit of horse and heavens alike. It's a spectacular piece, one that is designed to function as well as adorn, and Spirit clearly intends it for a very specific home.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. And, as always, sales are much needed, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Threshold: Grandmother

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

The Grandmother who sits at night's threshold is not something to be won, but a light on the darkened path.




All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Friday Feature: Inviting Spirits

Photo copyright Aji, 2015;
all rights reserved.

It's our Friday Feature at The NDN Silver Blog, and today, it's a collection of small inviting spirits. The invitation runs both ways and it's a good reminder for this frantic and frenetic season. But while the posts's focus is on these modest ones, there are also links to the larger iterations; there are also links to a wealth of historical and cultural information scattered throughout.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the Contact form. Christmas is a scant week away and the bitter cold is already here, and it's the holiday sales that get us through winter's icy depths still to come, so sales are much needed, and shares of the site links much appreciated.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Threshold: Brick and Mortar

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

From wood stove to snowy weather, a configuration now different, yet solid . . . and there is a lesson there.




All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

#TBT: Tiny Bowls, Lined Pages, and Starry Skies

Photo copyright Wings, 2015; all rights reserved.

It's #ThrowbackThursday at The NDN Silver Blog, and today, it's a trip back in time six or seven years . . . and simultaneously, well over a century. Today, it's a pair of Wings's collectible pieces of miniature pottery, tiny open bowls that carry the spirit and substance of the ledger horse. There's background information in the post on this being's history and identity.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Both of these works sold many years ago, but he can always create one uniquely suited to individual needs (with a ledger horse, or some other motif, as an overlay); simply inquire via the site's Contact form. And, as always, sales are much needed (especially now, with the holidays looming and winter's sub-zero temperatures now here), so shares of the site links are much appreciated. 

Note:  As of an hour or so from now, I will be offline most of the day today. I'll try to check in late this afternoon, but it may be evening before I can retrieve messages. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Threshold: Conception

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

A child conceived, walking on mere moments later . . . and a full life lived in the space between.


All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

A Traditional Spirit, In Miniature

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's the first entry in our Wednesday/Weekend series featuring Wings's current body of work, one well suited to this week at the mid-point of the holiday season. Thanksgiving and Chanukah are past, Solstice and Christmas are only days away, the New Year is around the corner, and our world is immersed in the holiday tradition of gift-giving. At a time like this, what better gift than a tangible talisman of life's lessons and blessings, a wholly traditional spirit manifest in miniature form?

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. And, as always, sales are much needed, so shares of the site links are much appreciated. 



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Threshold: An Alpine World

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved,

It looks like a scene from a movie: an aerial view of the Alps in the depths of winter, rugged peaks in a land far away, one I will likely never see.

It's not.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Jewels and Gems: All That Glitters

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's this week's edition of our series on Jewels and Gems, with a bit of holiday glitter in the color of the light. It's a mineral more often derided than respected, but to me, that's right where the symbolism lies: recognizing beauty in all its forms, without need to compare it on some sort of artificial scale of value.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Unusually for this series lately, there are two pieces featured in the post that remain available for purchase in our gallery inventory; simply inquire via the site's Contact form. And as always, sales are much needed, so shares of the links are much appreciated.

On another note, I am way, WAY behind right now, and that may not change for a few days. Wings is at the studio grind, working on holiday orders, and I'm picking up additional duties in other areas. It's all complicated by 1) Cree's relapse, and 2) my own relapse, both of which are due to 3) massively unsettled weather, with 4-6 inches of new snow on the ground just today, and dangerously cold wind chills already. It'll be below zero at night for the next few days. All this is by way of letting everyone know why I'm AWOL, and I am, and I will be for probably the remainder of the week. I'm beyond frazzled, beyond exhausted, and now at the point where I'm just putting one foot in front of the other. That's normal for the final weeks before Christmas, since this is our busiest season, but my body isn't handling the weather so well this year. Apologies to all, and I'll catch up as I can.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Winterstices: Between Worlds

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

First lines:

The interstices are the place from which I write: the place where the Thunderbird flies. It’s that misty netherworld, one that straddles this world and the other and is yet a fully articulated world of its own, the space between the lines, the border, the threshold, the gate.



All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Monday Photo Meditation: The Spirits of Winter

Photo copyright Wings, 2015; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's a photo meditation for a winter Monday with a snowstorm approaching. It's also a visitation — and a revisitation — of some of the spirits of the season, spirits who, in our way, are a living part of the landscape of this place.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. As always, photos are available for purchase in any of the usual three formats; simply inquire via the site's Contact form. Also as always, sales are much needed, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Winterstices: Medicine Wheels

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

First lines:

Lines.

Beams. Struts. Spokes.

They bring together, and they hold apart.

They combine and separate.

They support a larger structure.

They wed parts into a greater whole.

They are bridges, thresholds, portals, interstices.


Lines are medicine.




All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Wrapped In the Beauty of Winter's Blanket

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

Now posted at The NDN Silver Blog, it's our final entry in this edition of our Wednesday Weekend series featuring Wings's own silverwork. It's an entry perfect to wrap up the week's theme of winter's shades and shapes. It's also a collection in miniature, two pieces not designed expressly to match, but created to complement each other.

The post is here. Wings's main page is here. Inquiries via the site's Contact form. And, as always, sales are much needed, so shares of the site links are much appreciated.




All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.

Winterstices: Shelter

Photo copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved.

First lines:

What was, at dawn, a red willow arbor is by afternoon a loosely-packed iglu far south of that structure’s native land.

Heavy wet flakes, one inch rapidly becoming two, more descending steadily as a shrouded sun begins its downward arc.

It seems cold, but it is shelter, flakes and twigs and air combining to insulate its tiny inhabitant, seated amidst and astride a crosshatch of red and white lines.

It is a small spirit, but a fierce one, one willing to face down much larger cousins in the contest for food. He is a being of the interstices himself, this bird whose name refers to his white crown, a crown that is actually white and black, his own embodiment of positive/negative display of lines and spaces. 

All content, including photos and text, are copyright Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.