21 Sep “THIRST” – Painting and Poem by Rina Lucas
Dear Friends,
I am delighted to unveil my latest original oil painting, 18 X 24 on Gallery Wrapped Canvas, and accompanied by poetry entitled “THIRST” with much gratitude to the Gila River Indian Community who recently hosted us at Wild Horse Pass in Arizona and inspired this multimedia work. – Rina Lucas, Staff & Palette
“THIRST”
Poem and Painting by Rina Lucas
In the desert
And in life
Thirst
Is real…
Seeing it slaked
Is holy work
Feeling it in the first place
An other worldly experience
Recognizing
The Divine
Among the dust
Are vessels
Carrying much medicine
High Priests
Who feel the fullness
Of what might be mistaken
For emptiness,
They are
Wide waters
Winding their way
Through parched parcels
Like the Gila River
A mindful mirror
Reflecting all the complex hues and shades
Of honesty
Where light and darkness embrace
And become one reality
The Song of the Sonoran
Diverted
For decades
So truth could not be told
Stolen
From the ancient caretakers
Of this sun streaked Land
Lying along arid mountains
Underneath Arizona’s azure skies,
Yet what was taken
Has been returned
As justice always requires
But all too often
Cannot fully achieve
At least not in one
Lifetime,
Reparations
Have restored
The lush blooms
Of this sacred space
Filling the air
With the aroma of Acacia
And calming Creosote
Remembrances of rain
Yielding nourishment
That fills bellies
And feeds souls
Starving for memory
And meaning,
The renewed flower
Of the Gila River’s flow
Repeats the prayers
Of the people…
The Pima
The Pee-Posh
And every one of us
Who has known thirst…
Survivors of violations
Of every kind
Not yet validated
Let alone vindicated…
Until we are heard
Even if it is
A long time coming
As the sun
Is setting.
Artist Statement – Rina Lucas – Staff & Palette
Both the painting and poem seek to represent not only the stunning natural beauty of the Gila River region of Arizona’s Sonoran Desert, but also to tell the story of how devastating non-native agricultural practices in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s literally cut off the life flow of the Gila River to native communities, the Pima (also known as Akimel O’otham) and the Maricopa (also known as the Pee-Posh or Piipaash) who originally cared for this sacred land and remain here to this day. Thirst, experienced often in the desert in a physical way, is expressed here as a longing for truth and for wrongs to be righted. This was the case when the US Government built Coolidge Dam and created the San Carlos Reservoir on the Upper Gila River piping water once again to the reservation to sustain farming practices, life, and hope for the people to whom the land holds most value and rightful claim. The river itself, considered holy by these tribes, is the central character of this multimedia artistic work and also has special meaning for me, literally and metaphorically, in my own personal journey. While each story is as unique as the individuals and groups they represent, the poetic idea stretches to acknowledge the thirst felt by all peoples who have suffered their own violation in some form. It describes how the remedy of the river’s symbolic voiced and visual validation of truth, a mirror to allow for just action, refreshes and alleviates this prayerful longing for the world to be repaired. Value contrast is vigorously implemented in the painting to demonstrate that truth contains complicated shades that show the light and darkness of what is. That the scene is depicted at sunset emphasizes even if restitution is a long time coming, it is never too late to see it done.
“Water is life.” – Lakota Proverb
“I am the River, The River is Me” – Maori Proverb
“Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.”
Holy Bible – Matthew 5:6
“Ho! All who thirst, go to the water…”
ה֚וֹי כָּל־צָמֵא֙ לְכ֣וּ לַמַּ֔יִם
Hebrew Bible – Isaiah 55:1