Kuik Yua - River Spirit, 2018
This mask embodies the power of rivers to create and change landscapes.
Personal collection.
Yellow cedar, glass seed beads.
18”h x 12”w x 2”d
Merr-aq - Feast for the Dead, 2018
There are two ideas at work in this mask. The first is based on a quote I read years ago that has stuck with me: “Perhaps they are not stars in the sky, but rather openings where our loved ones shine down to let us know they are happy.” It was attributed only as an “Eskimo proverb,” and while I don’t know whether that’s true or not, I like the idea of having our ancestors and relatives with us on a regular basis. Stars normally would be represented on the forehead of a Yup’ik mask as a blue background with white spots, but I chose to represent them using diamond dust applied to look like the Milky Way.
The Feast for the Dead was a ceremony held each year to honor and feast those who had passed on during the previous year. During the ceremony, women would use eagle feather wands to invite the spirits to return to the world of the living to be given food, water, and anything they would need during the coming year. The replica eagle feathers signify both those wands and my creating art as a way for me to connect with the spirits of my ancestors.
Private collection in Portola Valley, CA.
Alder, pigments, imitation eagle feather, seed beads, diamond dust.
20”h x 10”w x 5”d
Snow Happy, 2018
This mask is a representation of the joy winter can bring - even when it is cold the land is still beautiful.
Private collection in Tucson, AZ.
Basswood, pigments, seed beads
12”h x 10”w x 2”d
She’s Always Looking for Mountains, 2017
This mask was inspired by someone close to me who spent several years working at ski resorts.
Private collection in Fairbanks, AK.
Basswood, plastic straws, LED lights.
12”h x 8”w x 3”d
They Dance When You Whistle, 2017
When I was a kid in Alaska, I was told that if you whistled when the Northern Lights were out they would dance for you. The beads move when the mounting wire is plucked.
Private collection in Galena, AK.
Basswood, pigments, seed beads, wire
15”h x 8”w x 3”d
As We Go Through Our Days, 2017
This piece is a State of Alaska Percent for Art project. It represents the many emotions we can experience in a day, and highlights the fact that as time passes those emotions can change. As this piece is in a middle school, it is designed to encourage understanding of and respect for others’ emotional experiences.
Public collection of the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District, Ryan Middle School, Fairbanks, AK.
Basswood, yellow cedar, red cedar, pigments
Total installed dimensions: 15’ x 15’. Dimensions of wolverine mask: 18:h x 10:d x 10:w. Dimensions of face masks: 12”h x 8-10”w x 2”d.
Overwhelmed, 2016
This mask is inspired by the word “chaos.” Everyone feels overwhelmed by life at times, whether from family and work obligations, stressful situations, or the constant barrage of the media. When my life starts feeling chaotic, I usually have a calm exterior but internally I sometimes feel like I am falling apart. The ceramic insulators on this piece were given to me from a house remodel, and I found them to be a good representation of the scattering of my thoughts during difficult times.
Tuunraq - Moon Spirit, 2016
This mask is inspired by a traditional shaman tuunraq (helper spirit) mask. It is a type of nepectat (“sticks to the face”) mask, which were said to float off the ground and stick to the shaman’s face without any straps. The original mask was surrounded by a board, and I chose to represent that shape with the placement of the cracked quartz beads, which look like little moons to me.
Private collection in Tacoma, WA.
Yellow cedar, pigments, wire, quartz beads.
18.5”h x 23”w x 2”d
Ellam Yua, 2014
A photo of a Yup’ik woman from 1929 is the main inspiration for this mask. In it, she is wearing earrings that hang from ear to ear, which I have recreated with the hanging beads. The headband is reminiscent of a headdress that a woman would wear while dancing, and the lines on the chin are patterned after traditional Yup’ik women’s tattoos. The colors red, blue, black and white are the colors commonly found in historical Yup’ik art, which I have incorporated with the colors of the beads. The mask is also inspired by the phrase “ellam yua,” which means “person of the universe.” I believe we are all people of the universe, and one way to recognize this is by honoring and embracing our heritages.
Private collection in Tacoma, WA.
Alder, glass seed beads, moose hide, pigment.
16”h x 10”w x 2.5”d