Artist Statement

This body of work is a collection of oil paintings utilizing color relationships to describe experiences of crossing. Through exploring tensions of line forms and textured color fields, these paintings express the beauty of hybrid crossing, while mapping out abstract relationships of bodies and landscapes inhabiting the spaces in-between. Mapping out the spaces in-between has visually formulated using concepts of indigenous postcolonial theory reconciling two conflicting cultural paradigms: Western-Colonial-Linear to Pacific Northwest indigenous world-views. The focus is on healing the historical traumas of dislocation, displacement, loss of language and ceremony, while simultaneously upholding the spirit and stories of survival, spiritual regeneration, and the power of re|membering and invention. This is being explored and expressed through the visual language of abstract expressionism and color field relationships, to describe experiences of post-colonial hybrid crossings. Hybrid being is manifested in the existence mentally, spiritually, and physically between two paradigms, cultures, and connections to place. Returning to homelands, re|membering ceremony, and maintaining zones of refuge are decolonizing imperatives that are utilized conceptually in the studio, both in painting-process thinking as well as post-painting contemplation. Abstract organization of visual information is a process used to interpret this sense of displacement from indigenous lands, as well as to depict earth’s sustenance, and reestablish connection to place as in an indigenous sense. The paintings from the last year reflect the stated decolonizing imperatives, functioning in form like topographical maps, which locate a post-colonial identity within contemporary visualizations of: bodies, land, geologies, archaeologies, gender identities, human’ness and how these concepts’ dialogue one another, reverberating beauty in re|membering and reclaiming indigenous voice.

RAW Natural Born Artists Presents---Ensemble!

RAW Natural Born Artists presents an awesome party/art venue at the Bossanova ballroom on September 21, 2012, a Friday evening from 8pm-Midnight. Kaila is being featured as a showcase artist at this fine, fabulous event! Artwork by Kaila Rose Farrell-Smith is doing a special offer to help sell tickets to this fabulous night of art and under ground Portland culture! The first 20 people to purchase a $10 ticket to this event, through Kaila's RAW showcased' artist profile: http://www.rawartists.org/kailarose Will be AUTOMATICALLY entered into a raffle to win an original 8" x 10" oil painting done by the artist this last month!!! It is an incredible painting about the re-emergence of the Salmon spirit to the Northwest! Please go this link and by a ticket, even if you can't attend! Your name will be entered and you can still win the painting... a 1 in 20 chance to win an ORIGINAL Kaila painting for just $10!!!!! See you at the event when she will pull 1/20 name in a hat to see who wins this amazing artwork! AND you can win even if you are not there!!! http://www.rawartists.org/kailarose

Spirit of the NW Award & Portland Art Museum Purchase

The painting "After Boarding School: In Mourning" won the 'Spirit of the Northwest Award,' the second place award of $750 at the annual juried exhibition 'In the Spirit: Contemporary NW Native Art' at the Washington State History Museum in Tacoma. It is being purchased by the Portland Art Museum for their permanent collection by the new curator of Native American Art!

In the Spirit 2012!!!!

My piece "After Boarding School: In Mourning" was accepted into the highly regarded and competitive Juried art exhibition, "In the Spirit: Contemporary NW Native Art" at the Washington History Museum! This is the second consecutive year that my artwork was honored by being accepted into this summer long exhibition. The judges this year were Lynette Miller of the History Museum, Michael Holloman who heads Plateau Studies at WSU and Deana Dartt-Newton (Choctaw) from Portland Art Museum! The show is on view at the Washington History Museum in Tacoma, Washington from June 21st-August 26th 2012! Please join me and the other artists and community for the FESTIVAL DATE: SATURDAY, August 11, 2012 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM!