When creative souls gather with a single purpose in mind, their personalities blend to create a collective energy that exhibits the best traits of each. The bear is the protector and creates space for creation to ignite. The killer whale clears the path and brings the group together to move the project forward. The sea otter facilitates cohesion among the parts of the whole. The raven brings its intelligence and often humour. The owl is wisdom and overseer, making the road smooth. This wolf is creatively driven and extremely loyal at heart to the pureness of the project.  The eagle is knowledgeable and meticulous. The beaver, able to assess each situation quickly, is hardworking and industrious. The fox, similar to the raven, has a great bank of intelligence, and cleverly solidifies thoughts and ideas.

This group was assembled to bring together the book O Siyam: Aboriginal Art Inspired by the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.  Featured as the title page to the book, Connie Watts infused her drawing with Greg Durrell’s graphic interpretation for the book.  When strong spirits such as these gather, the resulting alchemy creates a new being unto itself.