How did you get interested in creating art?
I was the kid that carried around sketchbooks and doodled on all my schoolwork.  In second grade, the "art ladies" would come into the art class with posters borrowed from the public library.  They would feature the life and career of famous artists such as Van Gogh, Diego Rivera, and Georgia O'Keeffe. Discovering famous art and learning about the artist behind it was my favorite part of school. I then realized that being an artist was not just for famous people; it was a real profession. From that moment on, I decided I would be a professional artist when I grew up.

Where/how did you learn your craft? Who helped you along the way?
I was surrounded by creative matriarchs in my family, continually sewing, making beaded jewelry, and crafting. These women encouraged me to create and make things and to take pride in my Ojibwe culture. I remember taking all the drawing and art classes my school had to offer in my primary and secondary education. I stood out a little as no one else in my family was interested in painting or drawing. In 1999, I earned my BFA from Eastern Michigan University in painting and drawing. I am a first-generation University college graduate. 

Who are your biggest influences?
My biggest art influences are the famous artists Diego Rivera, D.C. Cannon, and Sargent. My maternal grandmother was also a significant influence; she taught me beading on looms, hand-beading necklaces, earrings, and other arts and crafts. When I was 18 years old, about to enter college, unsure what I was doing with my life, my mother gifted me my late father's table easel. I had never known he was a painter until then. It wasn't until years later I realized I might be continuing what he started. I still have his easel in my home studio.

What personal experiences have shaped your creative process?
Love and loss have shaped a lot of who I am and what I do. I lost several close family members at a very early age, most notably my father. Without them in my life, I lost my sense of cultural and spiritual identity. As I grew older, I realized they were the knowledge keepers of our traditions, language, stories, and more. I create art to continue my ancestors' legacy, culture, traditions, and tribal identity.

What work are you most proud of that you've created so far? 
The oil painting titled "Aunt Becky" is a piece I created were everything I had been working on over the years seemed to come together: my style, my techniques, my color palette, and my voice.

How has your career developed?
After earning my art degree, I had a lot of false starts and stops building my budding art business.  I experimented with lots of mediums and techniques. I was not fully dedicated to my art, didn’t know where or what I was doing, or where to go next. Then I got married and had children and found it hard to maintain a budding art career and a family work-life balance. For many years my family came first and my art took a back seat. During that time, I continued to play and experiment artistically; I refined my oil painting skills and made paintings for my collection and an occasional commission or two. Around 2017, newly divorced, I renewed my studio art practice and dedicated my time to creating a new body of work, entering shows, marketing, and selling my art, all while being a single parent.

What do you enjoy the most about being an artist?
Sharing my art with the viewer and seeing them connect to something I created is the most rewarding experience.  Personally speaking, painting is my prayer, meditation, and my language. When I paint, I get immersed in what I'm doing; I lose all sense of space and time.  On the flip side, I find when I'm not creating art I can feel moody, depressed, and disconnected. I believe art is one of the best tools to heal both the creator and the viewer.

What do you find the most challenging about being an artist?
Being an artist is not for the faint of heart.  Creating things take grit, dedication, and a willingness to make lots of terrible looking art. Staying committed to something when there is no inevitable outcome is both an emotional and spiritual journey.  Then there is the business side of being an artist: marketing, promoting, and managing one's art is all equally time-consuming and full of uncertainty.

What do you want viewers to take away from your work?
I like the viewer to be pulled in and feel the figure's emotion, whether it is sadness, happiness, or something else altogether. I hope the brushstrokes, colors, and design are why the viewer stays for a while or enjoys the painting for a lifetime.

How do tradition and identity inform your work?
My paintings reflect on how I see and experience our diverse indigenous cultures and traditions.  How we identify as contemporary people and how we thrive to this day. Regalia is an essential aspect of our way of life, and my paintings highlight the patterns, symbols, and colors of our indigenous communities. I'm profoundly grateful and honored to continue the tribal legacy of my people with my art.

How does your work comment on current social or political issues?
Not too long ago it was illegal to practice our traditions, to dress in regalia, to pray, to sing, and to dance. My art subtly references that we Anishinaabe people are still here; we are not only survivors of genocide; we live and thrive today. I illustrate the indigenous figures as contemporary people with traditional stories.

Do you make art full-time, or as you can?
I am a full-time artist and a full-time single mother. The juggle of work-life balance is real but worth every moment.

What are some of the most significant challenges you face in doing your work?
COVID has presented me with considerable challenges, from creating new art to sharing, exhibiting, and selling. The global pandemic has exposed some old and new inequalities in art, health, economic structures, education, communities, and raising families.  There is no playbook to being an artist or a parent. Doing both well at the same time is my biggest challenge.

What outcomes would you like to see from this show?
I would love to see this show or ones like it travel to other museums. I want the Anishinaabe artists to network and exhibit more often together as a community. I believe it is vital we share our story and our way of life. I want to see female indigenous artists get more opportunities.