Agiina Podlasek Honoring - Ceremony at Omaha Beach 2018

This subject of this portrait is a young woman: Agiina Podlasek (Native American- Ojibwe) who is concluding a traditional ceremony honoring Native American and all Veterans at Omaha Beach, Normandy France on June 6, 2018. The painting draws the viewer into the moment when Agiina releases the prayers and memories gathered into the tobacco during a week of memorial services which take place annually. As Artist and participant, I wanted to capture Agiina's traditional regalia known as a jingle dress because of the cone shaped bells, brought into a contemporary setting with the gifted french scarf which hangs at her waist while she wades into the ocean in the hazy solemnity of late morning and draws all on-lookers into that moment.