Bird Woman and the Boys at 3 Forks

Description

I composed this painting after a trip my father and I took to Montana to visit where he was born 73 years earlier and after reading Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose. While in Montana, we visited Three Forks, where the Missouri River begins at the coming together of three rivers. My dad told me that when he was growing up the Lewis and Clark Expedition was still a major topic of discussion, one hundred and thirty years after the journey. This painting is my depiction of the famous explorers and their guide, Sacajawea (Bird Woman), along with her infant son known as Pompy, at the origin of the “Big Muddy.” In the sky, I have collaged a map of the journey as they traveled from St. Charles, Missouri to the Pacific Ocean. I wanted to capture the excitement of the expedition through the dynamic structuring and sensibilities that Cubism allows.