Morning Water Smoke:
The Original is a 10 X 14 Prints will be larger
Morning Water Smoke
Fine Art Print from the Sold Original
Original Artwork by Kelsie Young
Acrylic on Canvas | Signature Cut-and-Flip Technique, Symbolic Imagery, Textural Layering
Morning Water Smoke is a spiritual invocation—a visual prayer drawn from my lived experience of sunrise water blessings within the Native American church. For years, my husband and I participated in all-night prayer meetings. At dawn, I would walk to the water with feathers and tobacco, drawing the first light of the sun into the surface—an offering for the people to carry medicine into the day.
This painting holds that ceremonial energy. Created using my signature cut-and-flip technique, layers of dried, poured paint were intuitively shaped, reversed, and reassembled to form symbolic imagery and flowing movement. Elements of life and death are interwoven throughout the piece—some bold, some hidden. Look closely, and you’ll find the mouth of a skull in the shawl I wear, echoing the quiet presence of the ancestors who walk with us.
Morning Water Smoke is part self-portrait, part spiritual transmission. It is a moment of prayer made visible—where water, fire, light, and breath become one.
Though the original has been collected, I’ve made fine art prints available for those who feel called to its medicine. This piece is for those who rise with intention and know that morning is not just a time of day, but a sacred passage.
