Artist Statement

I don’t feel that I have to commit to traditional vs contemporary styles as a Native artist because I feel we are capable of both simultaneously. Although I have trained in traditional methods of design, painting and carving. Those skills cary over to what I create utilizing materials that were not part of the art forms origin. We are living in a time in which materials that were abundant are now scarce and exploration and innovation is vital to the expressions survival. 

"It is only through exploring that we can continue to achieve new heights. It’s the adaptability that has been underlying the foundation upon which we stand as artists today. "

We’d be foolish to think we did this alone at least those of us who associate ourselves with traditional ties to the work we do in the contemporary field. My use of materials is never about the use of medium for the sake of the medium but what how the art can enter that medium and perhaps enter a new avenue that opens up new possibilities, all the while knowing my work is part of a larger picture that is ever changing.