SYMBOLISM in my paintings

While painting the "Dia de Los Muertos" painting for my daughter in 2022,  I rubbed some excess paint off the canvas with a cloth and this is what was there when I returned to the painting. Clear as as it is right here.. It is a big horn sheep. I left it exactly as it appeared and covered it with a piece of waxed paper so I wouldn’t accidently paint over it. 

Big Horn Sheep have  meaning to me.

I lived in Boulder City, Nevada, for a year in 2018. In neighborhoods near Lake Mead, the sheep roam freely into  yards, across roads and anywhere else they want to go. It was fascinating to see them, however I was glad I lived in town because I wouldn't have liked picking up after them and it would have probably caused problems with my dog. 

My daughter loved visiting me in Boulder City, which she did several times. She told me later she had fond memories of things we did together there, including watching the sheep. 

Any animal could have appeared in that painting, but this particular one left me with no doubt that she was there and helping me. I believe she is doing the same, right here and now.