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Geri Schrab ARTIST STATEMENT ""The Land is all we have...the Land and what she offers us. These pictographs and petroglyphs connect me to this Land, and that is why I paint." |
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The focus of my artwork is the study of petroglyphs and pictographs, images pecked, carved and painted on rock
surfaces by the ancient, indigenous people of what we now know as North America. These original “rock art” images
were probably not considered art at all, but recordings of stories, journeys, hunts and visions; in essence,
the history of the People. As those of us not indigenous have adopted this Land, it is important to listen to
this history, and to learn. As more transplanted generations are born to and die on this Land, we intermingle;
it touches and teaches us. The rock writing left by the ancestors is a most unique doorway to learning and
understanding this land, its true history and native people.
My travels to these sites have taken me to the Pacific Northwest and California, south to New Mexico and Arizona,
as far east as Florida, and north into the stunning Boundary Waters of Minnesota and Ontario. I've also felt
extremely honored to see and paint from many hidden images of own lush state of Wisconsin.
As of this moment, the Summer of 2008, I have visited sites in 17 U. S. States; Ontario and Australia. Through
these travels and exploration through my paintings, I have found although the style and execution of the
original rock writings may vary from area to area, there is an underlying unity. This ancient unity echoes
our common heart and essential connection to Mother Earth.
Through the gift of this work, I have journeyed not only across the land to understand her hidden mysteries,
but also into the depths of my own heart. This journey has challenged and rewarded, stretched my boundaries
of comfort, traditional western ways of thinking and approaching life. It is within these journeys I have found
my true purpose and place upon this Earth; a gift as beautiful and rich as life itself.
As with all of my exhibits and individual pieces of art, I remind the viewers of my work that rock art sites are
not only fragile and irreplaceable, but sacred to many people. Should you have the good fortune to visit
a site, please tread lightly. These tantalizing images are gifts from the Ancestors and should be treated with
respect.
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