Salmonberry

Artist Statement

_{It’s amazing how drastically something can change within one generation. Growing up I always heard about stories from my mom, she would speak on the many different fruits she would collect from the land that we live on now. Today that fruit isn’t there anymore, colonization has changed much of what she use to know. This piece ‘Salmonberry’ is the first of a series, it’s creation is inspired by the many fruits which use to occupy the Capilano land. The use of bright vivid colors and Coast Salish form line are my way of combining and establishing my own style. The content may appear very bright but the underlying message it’s communicating is more dark in nature.}

_{Acrylic on Hand-stretched canvas}

^16″x20″

²⁰²³

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Other works

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Artist Statement

^{_{“Fairy Door” is casted plaster. It was created using a mold-making technique with a picture frame, clay and different objects to create impressions into the clay.}}

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Artist Statement

_{^{“Book of Blessings” is a time-based piece. After several weeks the book had decayed and was returned to the earth. In First Nations culture cedar bows are known for protection and blessings along with other cultural significances. The book was originally inspired by the idea of “what books are made of”, instead of having a tree go through the multiple processes of what it takes to make it functional, Book of Blessings challenges what it means to be book.}}

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Artist Statement

_{^{“Alabaster Mushrooms” were a happy mistake. The original idea was to create white mushrooms growing out of a wall but unfortunately many of the mushrooms when casted and removed from the mould, had fallen apart and crumbled. Instead the partially casted mushrooms were conglomerated together in a pile creating what appears to be a mound of dirt or manure with mushrooms growing out of it.}}

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Artist Statement

^{_{“Unmarked Graves” was created to bring awareness to the incident which took place at a Kamloops former Indian Residential school. The remains of 215 children were found buried on the site. This piece encouraged viewers to participate by removing an orange totem which was representative of the 215 children. The safety orange is the color that was picked to represent the “All Children Matter” t-shirt movement, this color was said to be worn last by a child who was taken and forced into a residential school.}}

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Artist Statement

_{^{“Being Mixed” explores what it means to be of a mixed ethnicity. This series was an emulation exercise involving 3 separate artists. Each aspect of these pieces carries an element that was influenced and then incorporated in their own manner. The form line designs in the background were inspired from a Coast Salish Artist, Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun, the linear arrangement of the form line designs was influenced by Stanley Whiteny, and the layout of the text mimic’s Christopher Wools style.}}  

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Artist Statement

_{^{“White Noise” was created to ‘poke fun’ at the Land Acknowledgments that have now been recited on a regular basis when starting a class at Emily Carr University or entering into any fine establishments that are located on unceded territory. The Land Acknowledgements are recited to help bring awareness to what has happened to First Nations Peoples. “White Noise” bears the question of what these acknowledgments are actually doing in the grand scheme of things and who they are actually for. Regardless of recognizing these statements, ultimately the original matter is still left unresolved. The use of the cutout magazine letters resembles that of a ransom note, hinting towards the idea of the land still being held hostage. The Land Acknowledgement used here is the sample version that is published on the Emily Carr website.}}

_{Land Acknowledgement}

^{_{” I would like to acknowledge that we are gathered here today on the unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples, including the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh nations...”}}

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