It is a common belief in many African and Haitian Cultures that bottle trees kept dark spirits away from the home by trapping them inside the bottle by night, to be destroyed by the sunrise the following day. this folk belief is one of the oldest origins of the  "spirit bottles," which were created as symbols of home protection from negative energies of all sorts! Before the use of modern doctors and medicine, people would seek out the help of the person in the village thought to hold the secrets to curing spiritual and physical ailments.  They were regarded as medicine men or women.  The remedies they rendered were believed to be potions, presumed so because of their mystical properties of healing, coming in all sorts of intriguing bottles with exotic writing and artwork.  Mythological literature speaks much of this, and many of these ancient practices are used today. My bottle paintings are yet another extention of my spirit work, having captured this aesthetic as a healing for the eyes...and the spirit. the idea to paint bottles came to me intuitively, and it brings me joy to create beautiful home and office decor while loving mother earth to recycle!