Artist Statement

My work is an exploration of identity, emotion, resilience, and the beautifully complicated experience of being human. As a Cherokee Nation artist, I draw from my lived experiences, my Indigenous perspective, and the vivid internal world that has shaped the way I see myself and the world around me.

I work primarily with acrylic paint, developing a visual language defined by neon colors, vibrant palettes, bold color blocking, expressive figures, symbolism, handwritten text, and layered imagery. Color is not simply decorative in my work; it is a way of communicating emotion, energy, and states of mind that can be difficult to put into words.

My work intentionally exists outside the expectation that Indigenous art must conform to recognizable traditional imagery or a predetermined aesthetic. At the same time, I do not seek to simply adopt conventional Western approaches to contemporary painting. I am interested in creating my own visual language—one that is contemporary, unapologetically colorful, deeply personal, and informed by my experience as an Indigenous artist. My identity is present in the work not only through subject matter, but through the perspective from which I create.

My paintings can be playful, chaotic, vulnerable, humorous, or intense. I am interested in the space where opposing emotions can exist simultaneously—where joy can exist alongside pain, where vulnerability can coexist with strength, and where something beautiful can emerge from something difficult.

Much of my work is deeply personal, but I do not create it with the intention of telling the viewer exactly what to feel. I leave room for ambiguity because I believe art becomes more meaningful when viewers can bring their own experiences to it. A smile might represent happiness, survival, exhaustion, or something entirely different. A burst of color might feel joyful to one person and overwhelming to another. I want my work to create that space for interpretation and connection.

I am particularly interested in resilience—not as an idealized state of constant strength, but as the imperfect, sometimes messy act of continuing forward. My experiences have taught me that strength can look many different ways, and I explore that idea through figures, symbols, color, and visual storytelling.

Ultimately, I create to make the internal visible. My paintings are records of experiences, reflections of identity, and invitations to look beneath the surface. I want my work to challenge expectations of what Indigenous art can look like while remaining unmistakably my own.

I create from my own perspective, in my own colors, and on my own terms.