The Wapiti
Elk Number Two
 
The wapiti, from the Shawnee, meaning white rump, this other name for elk dates back to 1805. It was introduced as an English word around this time by Benjamin S. Barton, an American botanist and naturalist.
 
The Plains Indians observed the bull elk as a courageous and magnificent figure. American Indian men often showed their hunting prowess by making the Elk's eye teeth into jewelry for their special girls or by gifting the teeth to their wives to decorate their dresses, so it was that the elk became a symbol of love and passion. Elk also symbolized everlasting devotion and permanence, as elk ivory does not decay or deteriorate with time.
  
This Pen & Ink drawing was done in 2022, but I just now got around to the framing. It is on cold pressed watercolor paper using my version of stippling. It’s framed with reclaimed barn wood that is over 100 years old. The edges are wrapped with patinaed copper. It is created on 14” X 18” paper and framed to 13X 17” Frame.