果冻传煤

By Francesca Du Brock, Chief Curator

Artist Colleen Firmin Thomas鈥� early forays into art making were encouraged by her parents. As a young girl growing up in Ft. Yukon, where commercial art supplies were scarce, she improvised with what was at hand, finding inspiration in the world around her. An early memory involves leading her younger siblings in a sculpture lesson, gluing found objects to logs. Her current work is informed by her Gwich鈥檌n mother鈥檚 beading designs and by materials her father, a fur trapper, would bring home. Her work reveals the significance of her lineage and early influences, blending and remixing materials from the land and design elements derived from Indigenous beadwork and skin sewing. 鈥淚 always feel like I鈥檓 trying to recapture my childhood when I鈥檓 painting,鈥� reflects Firmin Thomas.

Untitled work in progress. The artist and her cousin Andrew Firmin in Ft. Yukon, 1990.

When she was 12,听her听family relocated to Fairbanks, where she later studied printmaking at the听University听of Alaska. She created her first mixed-media听work听as she was graduating from听the听BFA program 鈥� conceived as a bird鈥檚 eye view of a tabletop听recreating听the look and feel听 of her mother鈥檚 workspace strewn with beads and quills and thread.听This work, like much of Firmin Thomas鈥櫶齜ody of work, explores the emotional and physical resonances of mark听making and the power of materials to convey deep,听personal memories and cultural connections.听听

Moose fur, porcupine quills, grouse feathers, old clothing patterns, discarded maps, gel mediums and acrylic paint are just some of the materials that Firmin Thomas employs in her work. She started听painting on top of collaged sewing patterns听on the advice of a teacher as a way to get over the intimidating blankness听of a fresh canvas. Although she started using the patterns to gain confidence, these underlying paper layers have become deeply integral to her work.听Formally, the听warm brown of sewing patterns echoes the听tawny hues听of tanned moosehide. Conceptually,听the presence of patterns creates a link to the act of sewing: 鈥淚t is my听heritage...sewing听 and survival. Sewing is practical and it鈥檚 beautiful and it speaks to the innovations of听Indigenous听peoples听using the materials around them,鈥澨齭he says.听

滨听顿辞苍鈥檛听奥补苍迟听驰辞耻谤听础苍驳别谤, 2020. 听Detail from听Tiny Teeth,听2017.听

Firmin Thomas听says she鈥檚 鈥渋nterested in each of us looking inward and seeing what we can do for each other and how we can help each other听谤颈驳丑迟听now.鈥� Her tactile pieces, suggestive of landscapes or maps, often carry titles hinting at her own process of confronting darkness and trauma or grappling with issues that confuse and frighten her. She sees painting as a way of facing challenging听issues听and finding beauty in unexpected places.听听

I am the Warrior,听2019.听听

A听work from her most recent听exhibition,听I am the Warrior, was made with the feathers from her son鈥檚 first grouse hunt. While painting听the work, Firmin Thomas听considered traditional gender roles and her own responses to challenges in her life. 鈥淚 was feeling strong and weak at the same time,鈥� she says. Part of creating the work was acknowledging to herself that 鈥渂eing brave doesn鈥檛 mean being without fear. A warrior is the one willing to do the work and to fight,听even if the outcome is unknown.鈥澨�

Image of the artist鈥檚 two children, Rowan and Meadow, and a current work in progress in the studio, 2020-2021.听

With the past year of听the听pandemic and with two young children at home, Firmin Thomas has had to adapt her painting schedule to accommodate remote schooling demands.听With the national protests surrounding racial inequity and police violence in the summer of 2020, she reached a point where she was so emotionally and physically drained, she听decided听to take a break.听鈥淭here was so much coming at us, so much happening, it was really hard to process and know where to start with a painting.鈥� She is slowly coming back to making work, with several canvases currently in process in her studio.听Painting, she says听is the best way听she听knows听how to process and make sense of the world. Her听new听works help us听to听consider what might be salvaged from the听challenge and grief听of the past year.

This residency was made possible with funding from the Rasmuson Foundation, administered by the Alaska State Council on the Arts.

Header image:听Portrait of the artist,听2020.听Courtesy of Sarah Lewis Photography.