The drive behind my passion

It is my desire to connect that drives my work and my passion to create. I feel a strong desire to connect to my tribe and their history, as well as, the history of my family. The history and passion my grandmother shared about her life and our tribe is deeply embedded in who I am today. I want to share that rich history and connect it to my life and the lives of Chickasaw citizens today. I have a deep respect for my late grandmother and the incredible journey of her life. I can only imagine the hard times she faced especially in her youth and early adulthood living through the dust bowl, but compared to the hardships and tragedies of our ancestors they were minor. She was hardworking, strong and proud. As time goes by our elders pass and we are slowly losing some of the connection to our history. It is ironic in a society where we spend a majority of our time tied to one device or another with the intent to "stay connected" that we are losing the real connection with our lives. My passion is creating and right now I feel the need to create connection. I enjoy the juxtaposition of using a bright, colorful contemporary style of painting and combining it with the imagery of our past. The eyes and souls speak volumes as I humbly attempt to share a fraction of the emotion in their story with my brush. I know in my youth I wasn't listening or connecting like I do now, and in this age of technology and information we are sadly less connected than ever before. I want to to evoke emotion and interest in real tangible life, past and current. I am inspired by the thought of sparking conversation about; connections to our past, those who are a part of our present and hope for our future.