Visual Arts , , , , — November 13, 2012 19:51 — 2 Comments

Kaila Farrell-Smith

Kaila travels in a world of the in between.  Where a cultural past weaves the passage of her future.  Tied so strongly to the history of her ancestors she and her work become a bridge, an intermediate, bringing the past into the present in a visceral way.

I have always imagined that the prolific manner in which Kaila often works might be motivated by something almost outside of her.  Like a whisper in the ear that itches to form a sentence, urgently dancing on the tongue as it waits to be told.  This push of inspiration creates a timeless and vibrant ongoing explosion of animals, faces, memories, place, spirit and consciousness.

We are just lucky enough to see this voice and this bridge with Kaila standing on it, hand held out, waiting to walk across with us.

-Visual Arts Editor, Liz McDonald

MakLak Sne’weets
Klamath Woman, 34″x50″, oil paints on canvas, 2011

 

After Boarding School: In Mourning
24″x36″, oil paints on canvas, 2011, Purchased by Portland Art Museum-October, 2012

Wife of Modoc Henry
34″ x 50″, oil paints on canvas, 2011

Ancestral Memory
26″ x 32″, 3 plate/color intaglio print, 2011

C’ikdo
Marsh Hawk, 11″ x 14″, oil paints on canvas, 2012

K’eeLa Wac’ aaks
Earth Dogs, 11″ x14″, oil paints on canvas, 2012

Laap Keys Wac’ aaks
Two Snow Dogs, 11″ x 14″, oil paints on canvas, 2012

Post-Colonial Salmon Emergence
20″ x 30″, oil paints on canvas, 2012

Waq dal i’gee ewksinii elGank
How do you say that in Klamath?, 17.5″ x23″, 2012

Three Sisters
oil paints on canvas, 90″ x 55,” 2012

Self-Portrait
oil paints on canvas, 2012

Bio:

Artist Statement

I am named after the Klamath mythological character, Kaila (pronounced Ka-EE-la), who represents creation, the earth, and the land. I identify as bi-cultural, growing up in Oregon with cultural and spiritual ties to the inter-tribal native community as well as living and traveling abroad. I experiment with indigenous symbols, depictions, and philosophy, creating an artistic space for these expressions to exist within the art-historically loaded realm of painting. I navigate through split-headedness, being raised within an indigenous/tribal paradigm as well as having education in linear, Western concepts and society. I journey by sifting indigenous identity through a colonized being searching to decolonize, discovering ways to bridge understanding of what it is to exist in a state of two conflicting paradigms.  Creating scarred surfaces with palette knife painting and scraping, bringing forth emerging and disappearing figures, I create emotive landscapes that bridge between literal and abstract, searching for where my identity belongs. I aim for my artwork to reverberate the current spirit of resilience and healing within my community with expressive mark making and vibrant colors. This exploration allows reclaiming misconceptions through marks that manifest qualities of present and lost ceremonies, bodies, language, song, and homelands.

2 Comments

  1. Jane Farrell says:
    November 15, 2012 at 9:24 pm

    I am excited to see the evolvement of Kaila’s work as layers upon layers of ether, mass, color, and the human, animal, spirit images interact, leaving the viewer with the complexity of our realms here on the earth plane. The images evoke the depth and beauty and raw reality of life on this plane. THankyou for the journey out of this corporate landscape and back to where we belong as spiritual beings. Geela..Ka ee la..to make to create.

    Reply
  2. Kenneth Hepburn says:
    November 16, 2012 at 10:32 am

    Wow!! It’s amazing to see how much Kaila’s work has evolved over the years. I’m thrilled to see that her abundant passion has grown into a body of very sophisticated work. I’m a fan !!!

    Reply

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The answer isn't poetry, but rather language

- Richard Kenney