“Alpha” is a commissioned painting of a strong female wolf. The client specifically wanted this animal, with a Native American influence, for their North Carolina cabin retreat. It measures 41” x 52” and there are many layers of resin and paint. The mixed media elements also include broken mirror flakes, aluminum flakes, with silver leaf and mica powders embedded. I used several wolf reference photos that have head-on strong faces. This was my first wolf painting but have completed many dogs over the years.

The relationship between Native Americans and wolves is considered sacred. Tribes believed that “God roamed the earth in the form of wolves and anything that befell the resident wolfpack would affect the tribe too.” Read more about the Native American Wolf Mythology.

“Wolves figure prominently in the mythology of nearly every Native American tribe. In most Native cultures, Wolf is considered a medicine being associated with courage, strength, loyalty, and success at hunting. Like bears, wolves are considered closely related to humans by many North American tribes, and the origin stories of some Northwest Coast tribes, such as the Quileute and the Kwakiutl, tell of their first ancestors being transformed from wolves into men. In Shoshone mythology, Wolf plays the role of the noble Creator god, while in Anishinabe mythology a wolf character is the brother and true best friend of the culture hero. Among the Pueblo tribes, wolves are considered one of the six directional guardians, associated with the east and the color white. The Zunis carve stone wolf fetishes for protection, ascribing to them both healing and hunting powers.”

— NativeLanguages.org

Native American Legends About Wolves

Wenebojo and the Wolves:
Chippewa Indian legends about the mythical hero Nanabozho's adopted wolf brother.
Of Glooskap's Birth, and of his Brother the Wolf:
The 'Malsum' wolf story as originally recorded by Charles Leland.
The Wolf, the Fox, the Bobcat and the Cougar:
Legend about a wolf spirit that helped the Shoshone-Bannocks defeat the warlike Little People.
Raccoon and Wolf Folktales:
A series of Potawatomi trickster tales about Raccoon getting the better of Wolf.
Fox Tricks Wolf:
Menominee legend about Wolf being fooled out of some maple sugar.
Manabush and his Brother:Manabozho's Wolf Brother:
Menominee stories telling how Nanabozho's brother Wolf became chief of the dead.
Why Wolves and Dogs Fear Each OtherHow Dogs Came to Live With the Indians:
Algonquian legends about Dog defecting from the Wolf people to the humans.
Which One Do You Feed?Two Wolves:
Native American fables about a good wolf of wisdom battling against a bad wolf of anger.
Cree Indian Wolf Legend:
Cree story about a friendly wolf pack that became the first dogs.
The Foundling Who Was Befriended By Wolves:
Legend about a Cree man rescued by wolves after a murder attempt.

I love to paint animals. They are representative of a feeling or emotion, so I choose the animal that suits the mood I want to paint. For instance, the Owl is intensity and fierce concentration. Horses are powerful elegance. The octopus is lyrical and mysterious.