Cauda Ursa is Latin for “tail of the bear” (Cauda Ursa Minoris). It is an old way of referring to the last star in the constellation Ursa Minor, the Little Bear. That star, at the end of a strangely elongated tail (for a bear) is more commonly known as Polaris – the North Star – and it has been guiding us for as long as we humans have looked to the sky.
Like many folks, my fondness for the Little Bear started as a young child. It’s the first constellation most of us learn to find in the sky, close to its mother, comforting to see. It is small and consistent, swirling around the North Star as the year progresses, but always there to be found.
It has also consistently made its way into my creative work over the years, in paintings and wood carvings, the stars of the constellation and the bear itself. When it came time to decide on a name for this website it seemed like a natural fit.
It is easy as an artist to lose one’s way, to go down the well trodden lane instead of finding your own quiet pathway. A creative life is a rewarding life, but also an easily complicated one, and who among us wouldn’t benefit from having a guiding star?
Cauda Ursa is that star for me, and I will endeavor to follow where the creative work needs me to go – through the night sky, instructed by dreams, accompanied by my constellated companions.
