"Ceremonial"

Happy Independence Day!  I didn't paint today, July 3,  but I did work on an exciting new scrap quilt in the "Trip Around the World" pattern,  modeled after one I recently saw at the International Quilt Festival in Chicago .  It is very challenging, but captivating. 

This painting, "Ceremonial" is one I recently completed.  It measures 16" x 40" and is on gallery wrapped canvas, unframed.  The reference photo was taken during one of our trips to New Mexico.  The jar in the middle is a Pueblo wedding vessel.  The two spouts connected by the single handle signify the two lives being joined as one in marriage.

Through my research I learned the following:  Typically the wedding vases are made a week or two before the wedding by the groom's parents.  When the vase is finished, the groom and his parents and other family members present it to the bride in her family home.  She then gathers all her belongings needed to begin her new life with her husband, and both sets of parents give them advice for a happy and successful marriage.  Indian holy water is then placed in the vase, which is turned and offered to the bride.  She drinks from one spout, and the groom drinks from the other.  This ritual unites them as a married couple.

These vases are treasured by the married couple for the extent of their lives.  If one outlives the other, it is tradition to present the wedding vase as a gift to another couple as a way to celebrate their married lives together.

I am very happy with this painting as it honors a beautiful tradition and brings back memories of a wonderful trip.  I also love that the fence in the background is called a "coyote fence."