I recognize that my position as an artist, and my artwork, can work to educate and represent my community. I recognize, too, that it can shed light on issues that affect myself and the communities I identify with—as full bodied, queer, Native Peoples. I use my artwork as a self-love and healing practice for issues that I know others like me relate to and deal with every day, such as topics related to issues of self-acceptance, social liberation, and autonomy.
My work is for the contemporary, unapologetic, and everyday Native person and allies: people who support Indigenous liberation and prosperity. I celebrate fat, brown bodies and the power of women in gouache and acrylic paintings. I utilize bright colors like hot pink, green, and orange as a way to uplift our bodies and auras. Some of my paintings are life size and face each viewer as an equal. Some of my paintings are on a smaller scale but still draw the audience in with rich colors and provocative lines. I utilize semi-precious stones in my beadwork such as turquoise, lion’s paw, wampum, and spiny oyster alongside Czech glass beads to create intertribal, unique, and innovative forms. With my beadwork, I aim to spread awareness of Indigenous issues and to normalize our existence in society. I incorporate words of resistance, like “Land Back” to celebrate our views as Indigenous and global Peoples.