Bear Fetishes, But Not The Kinky Kind

After visiting New Mexico last month, I have been even more entranced by the Zuni people's fetishes.  The small hand carved animals that hold spiritual beliefs. The bears have multiple properties, but one of them is protection and I like that.

Being inspired, I have continued on with making them.  Sometimes they are colors layered, once in a while they have a common Native American design like the heart line and now as you can see in the middle photo, they might have a landscape or another glass technique within their body.  It's like having a nice little canvas to paint upon with molten glass.

I've added other animals and birds to my list of fetishes, as well as more techniques.  I think I'm going to continue in this direction for awhile and see where I go.  Ideas of a 2 day class or even a full week have formed as well. I love how a culture, a location and an art form come together in one item.  More exploration to be continued.....