Leonore
acrylic paint and ink on canvas
22 x 18
Leonore Emma Ponton, 1902-1996, my great-grandmother on my father’s side, is a figure I remember only in brief but vivid impressions from childhood. My dad often told us that she had Native ancestry, and as a child, that idea felt both meaningful and mysterious. In a family of light skin and blue eyes, she stood apart—her olive complexion, dark brown eyes, and jet-black hair giving her a presence that felt both striking and quietly powerful.
I may never know with certainty the full truth of her heritage, but over time I’ve come to appreciate that identity can live as much in story and feeling as in documented fact.
I’m drawn to the symbolism of the oriole, a bird some Native traditions associate with the sun—bright, warm, and full of life. In other cultural interpretations, orioles are seen as messengers, moving between the spiritual and physical worlds.
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