10x7" Mixed Media on Paper
12x10x1" Wood Frame (Black)

Medium & Technique
A powerful mixed-media work on canvas — Chile Thomas's hallmark combination of bold painted forms with collaged patchwork clothing. The figure's garments are built from layered paper fragments in blues, teals, greens, and earth tones, while the background and bird are rendered in fluid, atmospheric paint.
Subject & Composition
A broad-shouldered man stands bent forward in focused engagement with a large bird of prey — Vulture — whose wings are spread wide across the lower foreground. He holds what appears to be a tether or leash line connecting him to the bird, suggesting the ancient practice of falconry or a ceremonial release.
The Figure
Wears a fur-trimmed parka or heavy winter jacket — white fur collar framing his strong, bearded face
His jacket and pants are Chile Thomas's signature collage-quilt construction — a mosaic of blues, stars, geometric shapes, and text fragments, including what appears to read "AIO"
Gold/amber gloves and heavy dark boots complete his grounded, utilitarian presence
His expression is one of quiet concentration and reverence — eyes downcast toward the bird
The Bird
Rendered with remarkable detail and energy — brown and white feathers, powerful spread wings, taloned feet. A red spiral marking on its wing echoes the cosmic sun above, visually linking earth and sky. The bird feels simultaneously wild and held.
Sky & Setting
The background sweeps from warm golden-cream at the top to a cool pale blue-gray below — evoking an open, windswept landscape, perhaps tundra or high plains
The ground is rendered in deep blacks and grays with scattered red fragments, suggesting cold earth or ash
Chile's iconic spiral sun — concentric rings of gold, orange, and red — watches from the upper left, a constant celestial witness across this artist's body of work
Mood & Meaning
This is one of Chile's most elemental and ceremonial images. The relationship between the man and the bird pulses with tension and tenderness — dominion and partnership, wildness and trust. The collaged clothing suggests a man assembled from many histories and cultures, engaging in a ritual that is ancient, universal, and deeply human.
There is weight here — physical, spiritual, and narrative. The spiral sun overhead ties this moment to something larger than itself.