For me, creating is an act of connecting and showing gratitude. It is a way of grounding myself in Spirit.
My practice moves fluidly between gestures made by hand and more refined details added with brushes, reflecting the balance of raw energy and careful contemplation. I create with acrylic paint, and digital paint. I also mix these mediums to show the integration of past, present, and now. My illustrations, often portraits, are more direct ways of showing the interconnected nature of an Indigenous perspective.
Kitana Connelly is a member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde as a descendent of the Molalla, Umpqua, and Klickitat people of Oregon.
My work emerges from a profound, ongoing journey of healing, connection, and release. My abstract paintings began as an exploration of unbinding stagnant emotions and shedding the need for perfectionism. Free from constraints, this process led me to a continuous path of self-discovery and spiritual growth, inspiring me to create pieces that act as bridges between the Land, my Ancestors, and myself. I now share these creations as a painter, illustrator, designer, muralist, author, and vendor in community.
