As an Alaska Native artist, Colleen’s work is profoundly shaped by the Alaska landscape. She grew up in two contradicting cultures between Fort Yukon and Fairbanks. Her mother comes from a family of native Alaskans—Gwichyaa Gwich’in, and her father is white. The different worldviews, backgrounds, and landscapes deeply influenced her early works, life, and art. Colleen expresses awareness that she is not the only person living in a middle area and she hopes her work speaks to all who know what it’s like to live in those less defined spaces. Her relationship with each of these cultures is continuously morphing as she grows older and gains new experiences along the way. Colleen works with the aspiration  that you will sense that from her art. 

Craft supplies were scarce in the village where Colleen grew up, which led her to be incredibly creative and resourceful with whatever organic material she could find outside. Her Alaskan wall art naturally—and perhaps even unintentionally became whimsical and multi-dimensional as she became a visual artist. Colleen chooses materials that bring feelings of comfort, home, care, and belonging. You can see this displayed in her paintings and art prints with her use of non-traditional materials Alaska natives will find familiar such as porcupine quills, feathers, and animal furs. Working with traditional Gwich’in sewing materials and other elements from nature allows Colleen to show the influence of her opposing two cultures.

In sharing about her background, Colleen tells about the immense support from her family and the local community—it was a wonderful place to grow up and was also the inspiration for her to become an artist. However, she also feels the weight of what her community has been through. Many generational traumas permeate her art without her directly addressing them. Colleen knows others have experienced brokenness, hurt, and difficult circumstances just as she has. She deeply hopes that her Alaska Native art can speak and bring healing to people who are stuck in a hard place.

Alaskan artists all bring a sense of personal experience, cultural influence, and unique beauty to their work. However, Colleen believes what differentiates her work from other local Alaskan artists is her ability to create beauty out of the tension between her two cultures—it is truly a unique perspective. 

She currently lives in Fairbanks, Alaska with her two children, who both enjoy painting right alongside her. She is also very grateful to be passing down a legacy of creativity and resourcefulness as well as the ability to process life through art—which in and of itself is an art form.