Description
"Mahli Chito" in Choctaw means big wind (tornado). The initial shape of "Mahli Chito" was chainsaw-carved from a single walnut log. The dancer is carved from basswood and painted with acrylic. The idea for this piece came to me when one of my former students was Junior Miss Indian Oklahoma. I watched her and the other Fancy Shaw dancers spinning effortlessly, creating their own little tornado as they seemed to levitate off the ground. I wanted each feather to be different and independent while maintaining a connection as they grew in the movement of the piece.
Materials
Walnut wood, bass wood, spinning platform in the base.
Dimensions
24" x 15" x 15"
Ross Earl Ridge
Cherokee Nation
About the Artist
Ross Ridge is a retired educator, coach and administrator of Choctaw and Cherokee descent. He earned an associate's degree from Eastern Oklahoma State College and bachelor's and master's degrees from East Central University. Ross and his wife Deanna have been married for 40 years and have three grown children and two grandsons. Ridge uses his skills in carpentry and metalwork to build rustic furniture and create his art pieces. Wood carving, acrylic painting, and pencil are his mediums of choice.
