Mia.

The meaning within this portrait had not yet fully revealed itself for me, but my 17 year old son shared with me some incredible insight into her portrait that definitely speaks to me. He said that what he saw, is that in my heaviest portraits "Prayer for Jordan" and “Robert” the darkness and despair in those portraits are represented in the left bottom corner of the piece and extend out from there. And the lightness and hope in those pieces are visually depicted in the upper right hand corner. Jordan can't see the light but that is the direction the goldfinches are coming from. Robert isn’t looking at the light but he knows it’s there, showing it to the kids who are fully facing it. Those are connections I had not yet made.

To him, in this portrait, Mia has grown up too fast and I agree. She does not behave like a ten year old. I often tease her that I think this isn’t her first time on this Earth. This child of mine is wise beyond her years; academically, emotionally, and spiritually. She skipped the third grade and was moved into a fourth and fifth grade class where she quickly rose to the top academically. They were worried she'd get bored but when she's finished her work she enjoys helping others. This child of mine also at age three, told me that mosquitos had the right to eat too as I watched her sit incredibly still letting them suck her blood. She participated in her first spiritual ceremony at age three. When she did, she only came out of the wigwam to go to the bathroom, and she would run there and back. I would try to kiss her and hug her as she ran but she would say “Mom, let go I don't want to miss anything!” And so she sat there in silence all day with the grownups. Her contribution in equal measure to theirs. To Elias, Mia has taken the weight of the world upon her shoulders, visually represented by the blanket she wears, and she is pulling us all out of the darkness and into the light. 

Awards:

First Place in Fiber Arts: 27th Annual Arts North International Juried Exhibition Jan. 8, 2022

8th place “All Women” Contemporary Art Gallery Online, February 26th-March 26th, 2020 February 2020

Exhibitions:

“Identity” The Atrium at the Bloomington Art Center, Bloomington, MN U.S.A Sept 21- Nov 5, 2023

“Identity” The Edge Center, Big Fork, Minnesota U.S.A July 1 - July 31, 2023

“Identity” Hopkins Center for the Arts, Hopkins MN U.S.A. May 18 -June 17, 2023

“Identity” Great River Arts, Little Falls Minnesota U.S.A. Jan 1- March 1, 2023

“Identity” Northwest Art Center, Minot State University, Minot North Dakota U.S.A Nov 1-Dec. 1, 2022

“Identity” The Whit Gallery, St. Cloud, Minnesota U.S.A March 25 - April 16, 2022

“ 26th Annual Arts North International Juried Exhibition, Hopkins Center for the Arts, MN Jan. 9- Feb 13, 2021

“Identity” Duluth Art Institute, Duluth Minnesota, October 2020 - January 2021

“Free Choice” ArtisTTable International Online Exhibition April 2020

“Identity Portraits” Watermark Art Center Bemidji, Mn, January 10th-March 28th, 2020

“All Women” Contemporary Art Gallery Online, February 26th-March 26th, 2020

Publications:

SonderMidwest Issue V April 2020