As I watched the large herd of Buffalo swim across the Yellowstone River in Yellowstone National Park ‘s Hayden Valley I became bewitched by the beauty of the scene. It was primordial and grand. It was the quintessential West!

It is Wyoming! With its emblematic and majestic animal moving freely across the vast open land.

I chose to depict the scene in a style reminiscent of Indian ledger art because Indians have such a long and spiritual connection with the Buffalo. I wanted to show the vast landscape and the flow of the moving herd where each animal moves at its own pace, doing what it feels like doing: grazing swimming across the river, bedding down and yet keeping the herd as a unity. The bison created a live ribbon that glided on the land.

I used exotic papers for texture and gouache for its vibrant, rich and yet subtle colors.