Four directional mosaic mural hybrid created for the Poudre Watershed May 2025

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  This mural uses rich symbolism to represent the four cardinal directions and the cycle of life. The East stands for beginnings and wisdom, marked by the dawn. The South symbolizes growth and nurturing, featuring native plants like natural grasses found in the park and chokecherry and cottonwood. The North honors ancestors and inner healing, with images of milkweed, monarch butterflies, and stars—referencing beliefs that monarchs guide souls on their journey after death and that the road beyond is along the stars. The West represents power, water, and the passage into the spirit world, where thunderstorms originate. A mosaic design symbolizes the Poudre River, followed by simple beadwork and ribbon-like stripes. The base includes mountains, added by the artist’s seven-year-old child. Colors like Black, Red, Yellow, and White stand for the four directions, while Blue represents the sky, Green the earth, and Purple the spirit.