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THELISSA REDHAWK

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NATIVE AMERICAN ARTIST

I am inspired by our Northwest landscapes. Observing the changes, I explore the transformations in my artwork. Each piece is a journey for me, making my thoughts and feelings visible. I embrace the salmon recovery efforts and enjoy reflecting on their original habitat of pure and clean waters. I believe in a reverence for our waters; that which takes care of us all.

I was born in Oregon and raised on the Umatilla Indian Reservation with my mother's tribe; I am of Cayuse and Walla Walla descent. Much of my artwork comes from life experiences, observations on rivers in the Northwest and my grandmother's teaching of our Indian ways. When I walk along a river, I like to think about the land at a time when my ancestors walked the same paths leading to the huckleberries, the camas, or the hunting and fishing grounds; the sources of their survival. Their footsteps have not altered the earth compared to the use of these same grounds today for agriculture, ranching, and recreational vehicles; industries that seem to distort everything in their path. It gives me satisfaction to prepare a piece that expresses my feelings and thoughts and to sometimes do artwork that is not so serious.


As a non-traditional student attending Eastern Oregon University, I obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in art. I had returned to the college campus in 1999 to revive my first love of art after raising most of my family and running my own horticulture business of 15 years. I am excited about the use of color, as I have done a lot of black and white photography, charcoal, pencil and ink. There is a mystery of trying to make my thoughts visible, an exercise that is rewarding when someone enjoys my piece. The first time I sold a piece it was a Panda Bear in Black and White ink. A shorthand teacher bought it in my high school art student exhibit. In 1997 Crows Shadow Institute of Art gave me an opportunity to work with many Native American Artists. It was through their workshops that I decided to return to college and get a degree in art.

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