Austin’s Legacy depicts a Hopewell sacred fire ceremony within the Fort Ancient Memorial Earthworks in Warren County, Ohio.  Fort Ancient is not a fort as the name suggests but a sacred place where the Hopewell people held important ceremonies 2000 years ago.  It took the Hopewell people centuries to construct 3 ½ miles of earthen walls that enclose over 100 acres.  This remarkable earthwork still exists today.  Fort Ancient is one of three Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks in the state of Ohio that have been nominated to become UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

All of the elements depicted in this painting have great personal meaning to Austin’s father, who commissioned the painting. Austin, depicted in the clouds, died ten years ago and this painting is a tribute to him. Native American spirituality was a guiding force in Austin’s life and he profoundly touched all who knew him including the close friends and family depicted in the painting. The image links the ancient past of this sacred Native American ceremonial site with present day.

30” x 40” Oil