American Symbol  1998
Acrylic on canvas, painted wood and birch bark frame 71 x 75”  

In researching the bald eagle, our national symbol, I found it very interesting that they will frequently get attacked by smaller birds or flocks of smaller birds, especially during breeding time.

  Crows and starlings are apparently the number one culprits in these attacks, which is  interesting from an ecological perspective since starlings are an introduced species here in America.

  But this is a painting about politics, not ecology.  I thought the idea of the bald eagle, our national animal, being attacked by myriad pesky smaller birds was a good metaphor for what is actually happening to our country.  Constantly under attack from all angles by smaller forces, we sometimes lose sight of our goals, or drop our prize.

  Each of these foreground attackers is an actual bird, native of a specific country that might have any hostile feelings towards the U.S., such as Cuba, North Vietnam, and Iraq.
  The fish being dropped is a native North American species, the Muskegee, or Muskie.