"Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life." - Tecumseh, Shawnee Chief
In this body of work, I use sacred numerology from my indigenous ancestry while also expressing important historical moments and acts through geometric forms.
Artist Reflection of Work
“We sainted St. Tammany (King Tamanend III) because he embodied moral perfection and every divine qualification that a deity could possess. I hold him in higher esteem than the saints of the Roman Catholic Church. He'll forever be the patron saint of America.”
— George Washington
Twelve generations removed from Sachem Tamanend (Chief and Patron Saint of America), his rays of light still shine brightly into my heart.
In college, while studying art history, much time was dedicated to the Renaissance period, sacred icons, and their profound societal impact. Hidden within these paintings were sacred mathematical and geometric structures that rooted the historical past into the contemporary. Such can be seen in Jan van Eyck’s The Annunciation (c. 1434–1436), where rays of light directed toward Mother Mary express her role as focal point, blessed one, and bridge between worlds.
Later, modernist painters such as Malevich, Kandinsky, and Tatlin would employ similar methods, though focusing solely on the internal.
Icons of the Native Northeast
In this body of work, I use sacred numerology from my indigenous ancestry while also expressing important historical moments and acts through geometric forms. This work is not a copy of the Russian Avant-garde nor a reflection of Western Renaissance icons. Instead, it is a pairing meant to declare that saints are not of one land, one time, or one people.
Tamanend is painted in all yellow (Gold), representing the ray of light shining through him. Like Van Eyck’s use of directed rays, I guide the viewer’s eye across the canvas. In the lower right corner, three crosses represent the three clans of the Lenape nation—Turtle, Turkey, and Wolf. Their names are inscribed along the Eastern border, symbolizing our homelands (Lenapehoking).
These clans form a bridge between our ancestors and ourselves. The Western border contains additional crosses, symbolizing the generational bridge between myself and Tamanend.
Icons: a homage to saints for inspiring people, giving them strength and reminding us to honor our voice, culture, and beliefs. A great Sachem (Chief) of the Lenape nation, Tamanend, was proclaimed as the patron saint of America, for his kindness, generosity, and moral standards. As a descendant of Tamanend I am responsible for the preservation of his legacy and that of my ancestors.
Like Tamanend, there are many great leaders of the Native Northeast who have inspired me, and my artistic process. Acknowledging them through utilization of geometric forms removes false projections of what native peoples look like, instead focusing on their achievements, and their story. Icons of the Native Northeast inspires us by being examples of modesty, generosity, and morality. The bold colors, dynamic lines, and interaction of forms, seeks to honor and preserve these ideals, beliefs and actions.
"Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life." - Tecumseh, Shawnee Chief
