Artist Statement
Through my work I evaluate potential aspects of world society’s future through ideas of spaces, ecology, spirituality, communication, and economics. Much of my drive is the need to make sense of changing perceptions of space, language, and culture to deconstruct rapid de-romanticizing of contemporary life in the recent information era of humanity that is coming to a close. This is an effort to allow societies to reestablish venerability and ceremony in everyday banalities to harmonize seemingly contrary economic and spiritual concepts. My process aims to illuminate the pitfalls of how, in a very general sense, global contemporary culture is passively described as inherently counterproductive and less deserving of reverence than previous civilizations or cultures.
My medium of choice is ink and paper as they are materials which universally represent the thin line between the two schools of human visual expression: representational drawings and illustrations, and abstractions in the form of symbols and written language. I imagine my body of work to be an infinite written language in which each piece represents a single letter or syllabic phrase that correlates to the personal conveyance displayed.
With my art and its related applications in various forms of design projects I want to inspire new pathways of living in humanity's beginning synthesis era.
My medium of choice is ink and paper as they are materials which universally represent the thin line between the two schools of human visual expression: representational drawings and illustrations, and abstractions in the form of symbols and written language. I imagine my body of work to be an infinite written language in which each piece represents a single letter or syllabic phrase that correlates to the personal conveyance displayed.
With my art and its related applications in various forms of design projects I want to inspire new pathways of living in humanity's beginning synthesis era.
Biography
I'm an American artist currently living in my big, cold, empty home state of Alaska. On the spectrum of art vs. design my work heavily resides in the art side, however I am constantly intrigued by the applications of principles derived from art in design projects and ethics.
I was born in Homer, Alaska, and have always been deeply engaged with fine arts since my earliest memories at home. At age 13 I began to further engage in fine arts by starting Rennaissance-era art history study independently, spending my free time working on a series of abstractions using acrylic paint and found materials, and creating my own style of comic illustration. While I have not had formal studio training my education has always revolved around the arts in some level. While attending Capilano University in Vancouver, Canada, I became further interested in the arts while studying anthropology and language and discovering the unique but often uncommonly known connections between art movements and civil developments. Much of my formative inspiration came from the artists and institutions in the Vancouver area, especially from the post-modernist movement and those engaged in the beginning of the "synthesis age" that attempt to evoke social solutions by hybridizing our glut of knowledge and materials harvested during the information age. In 2010 I moved back to Alaska to assume an administrative position with my Dena'ina culture tribe's indigenous government and social services offices. During my time there I became involved with the arts further, creating and administering social arts initiatives and events in rural areas of the Kenai Peninsula region of Alaska. I also participated in several indigenous cultural projects and much of the experience gained continues to be reflected in my current work. In early 2014 I left my administrative position and began my work as an independent artist and designer, and today I am continuing to be happily working on my various projects and series. |
Exhibits, Installations, and Honors2019: Apollo's Siheyuan
Exhibit, December 2019 Bunnell Street Arts Center Homer, Alaska 2019: Qena Sint'isis Exhibit, January 2019 Leah J. Peterson Gallery at Alaska Pacific University Anchorage, Alaska 2018: Tuggeht Janju Tets' (2017) Installation Homer Public Library Homer, Alaska 2017: Qena Sint'isis Exhibit, April & May 2017 Pratt Museum Homer, Alaska 2016: Q'es Krieyshon (2016) Installation Ninilchik Traditional Council Ninilchik, Alaska 2015: Judge's Choice Award Yaletown (2014, ink on paper) April 2015 - 2015 Biannual Judged Show Kenai Fine Arts Center, Kenai, Alaska 2015: Silver Hand Artist Alaska State Council on the Arts Press |