Hózhó Healing

(Mixed Media [ collage, acrylic and ink ] on 12” x 16” canvas. Created for my Navajo relatives)

This artwork is another example of how spontaneity often dictates my artwork more than intention. The theme of this project was tribal land and resource sovereignty. the first layer was a collection of magazine cutouts which had no initial purpose other than to fill empty space. I then drew out my compositional structure, which usually consists of radial geometry and symmetry. I then brainstormed iconography that could symbolize the message I was communicating. I placed mother earth in the center to symbolize her cultural significance to the Navajo, and I drew a start quilt pattern around her to show her beauty which radiates into all that we rely on for survival. This artwork was a great moment of self reflection and appreciation for my heritage. I feel honored to share the beauty of my Navajo people, land and values through my artwork.