Silent Nations

This series was inspired by the photographs of Frank A. Rinehart, taken in the late 1800s. His portraits documented Native leaders and delegates during a time when their identities, traditions, and nations were under immense pressure to fade from view. I was drawn not only to their beauty, but to their presence — the quiet strength that endures through the gaze, the lines, and the silence.”

Through paint, I sought to reinterpret these historical images — not to replicate, but to honor. My process involved stripping color to its essence, working with texture, light, and tone to let emotion and dignity emerge through the surface. These faces, to me, are symbols of endurance. They remind us that history is not lost in the past; it lives in memory, spirit, and the stories we choose to keep alive.

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