My first commission is from the terrific comic artist Shane Fisher, and I have had it hanging on my bedroom wall ever since. I enjoyed one of Shane's portfolios so much that I wrote him a letter. Yes, people actually wrote letters to each other back then, and even commissioned artwork through the post. You kids these days are so spoiled! ;)

Here we have a Native American raccoon carving the stem of a peace pipe. Hollow reeds were often used, but a wooden stem could also be used by a talented artisan. The pipe itself is made of hardened clay or stone which was shaped and drilled with quartz.

Note that the original had white space between the trees. I filled in the background digitally to give the picture a bit more weight.

raccoon