Nehiway/Denesuline/Métis artist and educator.
self-portrait - detail - 2014
~rematriation~
~relationality~
~reciprocity~
~connection to each other and the natural world~
This site is a work in progress. More images and content will be added in time…
LandEscape Series
LandEscape Series
The landEscape series is a visual narrative and conversation with relationship to land and culture. The pieces connect to the artists grandmothers and all those who came before. They are a celebration of all that is beautiful about relationality and being Indigenous. The pieces emulate our connection to water, air, land and sky. We can escape to the land for solace. The viewer is invited to use their imagination to escape into the mental, spiritual, emotional landscapes while viewing the paintings. The flowing shawls of a fancy dancer evoke movement and beauty as the merge into the landscapes. 2023
Okinîwâhtik
wildrose medicine gathering us home
nohkomipan
Drifting through dimensions searching for nohkomipan to take us back home
~ wahkohtowin~all my relations series~
~ wahkohtowin~all my relations series~
This detail is of a large scale 9 by 16 foot mural locate inside a refurbished building belonging to the city of Red Deer. It pays tribute to the artists paternal grandmother’s love of beading Alberta wildroses on moccasins. The artists grandmothers relocated to Red Deer after family choose to leave the hometown roots of Fort McMurray. The Wildrose is Alberta’s flower yet also an Indigenous plant and medicine that we have been using for generations. This piece also tells the story of the land and our relationship to each other and the natural world.
Wahkohtowin - nipiy, askîy, kîsik, pisiskiw : We are all connected - water, land, sky, animals
At first glance, the piece may appear to be an exploration of digital tools. On the surface it is, yet it deeply connects many stories. The concept of Wahkohtowin “we are all related” is represented by the circles as they symbolize how all things are connected at a cellular level and that we are in fact interconnected with each other and the natural world. The okinîwâhtik (wild rose) is Indigenous food and medicine, the provincial flower, and inspiration for beadwork such as that of the deer hide moccasins my nohkomipan ( late grandmother) gifted me while living in Red Deer many years ago. Although we live in a digital world we are rooted in our connection and reliance on the natural world and all of its beauty. This piece also circles around the story of the river used to connect and bring people together, sustain life and mark the Treaty 6 and 7 boundary within Red Deer. The story of the origins of the name of Red Deer or as it is known by the Nehiyawak (Cree) Waskasoo Seepee (“Elk River.”) is shown in the subtlety of the elk within the artwork. The elk is reflective of the spirit of the language and stories embedded in this land. The circles that follow a fluid line represent the river. The circles within the elk connect back to the river , molecules that make up life, and are connected to the imagery of beads that are found in original Indigenous art aesthetics. The background is reflective of the sky, the air, the breath we all share and the hopes for a beautiful peaceful future together while existing together on this land that enriches us all before journeying back to the spirit world. 2022
wahkotawin- wildrose elk river medicine
~ wahkohtowin~all my relations series~ caribou connecting
~ wahkohtowin~all my relations series~ caribou connecting
This piece is a part of the “all my relations” wakotawin series in which all is connected. This piece is featured at the entry to the Boreal Forest experience at the Calgary Zoo. Caribou is featured amongst other boreal forest animals in which colours and lines fade, flow, move, transform and merge to reflect interconnection and interdependence of the natural worlds winged, water and land animals with trees, roots, plants, food, water, and air. Transformation and transparent details create further narratives of habitat interdependence while featuring a unique stylized reference to the resurgence of traditional Indigenous art forms like quill, tufting and beadwork 2024
wahkotawin- boreal forest - caribou is life
~Read Penticton Herald
““They are this wonderful connection to landscape, to history, but also to Indigenous traditions and ways of knowing,” said Emily Baker, curator at the gallery, located about 15 km northwest of Edmonton.
“Not only do they have that love for the landscape and the natural world, they’ve got this connection to this beautiful past as well. And so with LandEscape, Crystal wanted to capture a lot of the animals and plants and medicines and people who have walked this landscape for generations.”
Lois Hole Library, Edmonton, May 9th-June 30th
~Read Galleries West
“Her pieces are a stunning mix of both digital and physical art, seamlessly blending the best of both worlds. Inspired by imagination, observations and her photographs, the artist creates layers of colour and textures using digital and physical art making tools. Figures and land become inseparable as each new layers add movement and story. The final works are briming with vibrancy and life.”
~ReadWindspeaker
When creating LandEscape, Clark said she focused on her own disconnect to the land and how her ancestors have also been forced to disconnect from their culture and traditions for generations.
“The LandEscape title has double meaning,” Clark said. “In one sense, I myself like to escape into the land as a way to disconnect from all the things that are happening, maybe stresses, anxieties, social issues. I find a lot of peace when I connect with the land. But also, in another sense, the title means for me, it’s an escape, not only into the land, but from the land to connect spiritually either through my imagination or through thinking about the beautiful places beyond where our ancestors might be.”