Are You a Good Relative? 12 × 9 in. | Oil on Canvas
During a drive through Yellowstone National Park, a wild fox approached my car, sat quietly just a few feet away, and held my gaze. For several long moments, we simply looked at one another. There was no fear, no expectation of food—only a calm, searching presence that seemed to ask a simple but profound question:
"Are you a good relative?"
That encounter stayed with me long after the fox disappeared into the trees. It became a reminder that our relationship with the natural world is built not on ownership or dominance, but on respect, reciprocity, and responsibility.
In Anishinaabe teachings, every living being has a role and a purpose. We are all connected, and being a "good relative" means caring for one another—people, animals, plants, waters, and the land itself.
This painting is my reflection on that unforgettable meeting with Waagosh (Fox). More than a portrait of an animal, it is an invitation to pause, to listen, and to consider the same question the fox seemed to ask me.
Are You a Good Relative? 12 × 9 in. | Oil on Canvas
During a drive through Yellowstone National Park, a wild fox approached my car, sat quietly just a few feet away, and held my gaze. For several long moments, we simply looked at one another. There was no fear, no expectation of food—only a calm, searching presence that seemed to ask a simple but profound question:
"Are you a good relative?"
That encounter stayed with me long after the fox disappeared into the trees. It became a reminder that our relationship with the natural world is built not on ownership or dominance, but on respect, reciprocity, and responsibility.
In Anishinaabe teachings, every living being has a role and a purpose. We are all connected, and being a "good relative" means caring for one another—people, animals, plants, waters, and the land itself.
This painting is my reflection on that unforgettable meeting with Waagosh (Fox). More than a portrait of an animal, it is an invitation to pause, to listen, and to consider the same question the fox seemed to ask me.
Are you a good relative?
-JOHN