Giver of Water, Essence of Life Summer 2015

The female figure is a guardian of water, an element which is vital to our New Mexico landscape, agriculture traditions, and life itself.  The olla she holds is painted with a design based on pre-historic Tularosa patterns. She is metaphorically the source of water, creating the Rio Grande to her right and the Bosque pond to her left. A great blue heron wades next to her, surrounded by Johnson grass and regional spring flowers. The water pouring from the olla includes native fish such as rainbow trout, brown trout, catfish, silvery minnow, and widemouth bass. Embedded in the fields of the background are patterns made by pressing blossoms, seeds, and harvested crops into wet clay. The acequias span the valleys like veins, bringing the life-giving water into our lands. In the distance is the Albuquerque skyline, with the Sandia Mountains in the background. This mural is meant to honor water and our connection to this life-giving resource.