Humble Steps by J.R.
Watercolor, oil pastels, acrylic
Meet the artist: J.R.
Inspiration for the piece:
It started off as an idea of what I would like my shoe closet to look like and then I ran out of time to create something for the art show because of Stillwater shut down. So I was inspired to step up upon these circumstances and finish strong.
What role does art play in your life?
Art plays a significant role in my life because it is very therapeutic and rewarding. What inspires me to create is seeing all the other artist's pieces and what they create and having that "I can do that too" attitude with enough practice and techniques.
Artist statement:
The question was asked if my heart could speak what would it say? It would say "take your time and do your best to be a part of change and be patient with yourself and others as change comes and goes." We have good change and you have the change that is difficult, but trust and believe that with every difficulty comes ease. It was told to me that everything you touch you change and everything you change changes you. My heart beats, my blood flows throughout my body, my feet carry me and shows me where my heart wants to be and my mind follows. So I count the steps and make the days count while I approach life and time with the most important regards of appreciation of what's been give - life and time.
Spoken Heart … Westminster Presbyterian Church
In the AFTI Store:
11” x 14”
The emblematic Toh bird symbolizes my new beginning in a foreign land. Just as the Toh leaves its cavernous sinkhole home to explore the wide jungle, I left the cavernous walls of a 6x9 cell. I am shedding the heartless value system imposed on me and moving into a new, lighter existence. Although the Toh is flying free, the weight of its past is ever-present.
16” x 20”
Medium: Acrylic and watercolor
Letting people know that you are not alone. Your past does not define you. I wanted to share my pain and what I've struggled with growing up. That I was able to let go and move on from it and grow. Being free in my mind, body and spirit. Knowing that I changed and living in my truth.
16” x 20”
Medium: Colored pencil on Bristol paper
As I sit in this cage, I always view birds as free, but I didn't want to do an eagle or hawk. I wanted to catch the viewer's eye, and a kingfisher caught my eye with its bright colors. I feel free and viewed.
16” x 20”
Medium: Graphite and colored pencil
My home town is surrounded by 3 reservations. So many Native American women and girls go missing or end up dead with little news coverage. So this case, this logo speaks to me but I wanted to bring it to life.
16” x 20”
Medium: Pencil on Strathmore 500 series paper with a plate finish
"Mako sica" in the Dakota language means"forgotten/abandoned" which is what motivated me to do the portrait of Ohiye'Sa (Charles A. Eastman,) 1858-1939, from Redwood Falls, Minnesota Territory, an American physician, writer, social reformer. One of the first Native Americans to be certified in Western medicine, and played a huge part in 32 chapters of the YMCA/Boy Scouts of America. How can someone who touched so many lives be so easily forgotten? To bring this piece to life with a mere pencil forces me to believe we can once again live in a world without judgement/abandonment. The value places in the drawing is the value I hope can again be placed in those who have been forgotten. Never Forget!
16” x 20”
Medium: Acrylic
Back to my memories of growing up on the farm and around lakes.
16” x 20”
Medium: Acrylic, pencil, crayons
If my heart could speak it would tell you that something is missing. Behind all the smiles, laughter and good times, her heart yearns for more. She sees beauty on the outside but inside she feels broken. The biggest thing her heart has continued to explore and learn is acceptance of one's flaws and that it's okay to be imperfectly perfect.
The inspiration for my piece has to do with a part of my missing identity. I know on my mother's side we are German and Norwegian. But I know nothing of my father's side. His parents were immigrants from Mexico. I've felt like half of my culture is missing from my life, and I crave for knowledge of my other half.
I listened to a variety of music while completing my art piece. Music and art have been my constant companions for most of my life. It was super important to incorporate both aspects in my final project.
A color I love is fushia so it was very important that I also put that in my piece. I love cool colors like blues and greens and so it was important for me to incorporate those colors. I have an issue with things being perfect. I chose to be imperfect with my brush strokes, not always covering every inch of my canvas with color, and not always working in the same direction.
11” x 14”
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
My metaphorical heart - and, I believe, every human heart - is filled with layer upon layer of grief and love and loss and joy. I'm not always able to access complexity in the moment when yet another tragedy strikes; the good is obscured, invisible, absent from my perception, while the world both inside and out seems full of nearly unbearable emotions and experiences. In those times - in these times, in this harrowing start to 2026 - it feels like my heart has lost every language but that of the blood, and it spills, it pours without end, without mercy.
(Title - prefaced by text in painting - from Psalm 94.)
18” x 24”
Medium: Pencil and acrylic paint
If my heart could speak, it would speak of what remains after the fire.
The reaching hand stands in the aftermath... not as rescue, but as resolve. Destruction changes us, but it does not remove our power to shape what comes next.
Rebuilding is a choice.
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
The emblematic Toh bird symbolizes my new beginning in a foreign land. Just as the Toh leaves its cavernous sinkhole home to explore the wide jungle, I left the cavernous walls of a 6x9 cell. I am shedding the heartless value system imposed on me and moving into a new, lighter existence. Although the Toh is flying free, the weight of its past is ever-present.
16” x 20” and 11” x 14” sold as a set of 2
Medium: Acrylic on panel and canvas
The true inspiration behind this piece is life in today's world and all the trials and tribulations that other people are going through I wish for a little reprieve and hope the world can be surrounded by peace at some point.
11” x 14”
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
My metaphorical heart - and, I believe, every human heart - is filled with layer upon layer of grief and love and loss and joy. I'm not always able to access complexity in the moment when yet another tragedy strikes; the good is obscured, invisible, absent from my perception, while the world both inside and out seems full of nearly unbearable emotions and experiences. In those times - in these times, in this harrowing start to 2026 - it feels like my heart has lost every language but that of the blood, and it spills, it pours without end, without mercy.
(Title - prefaced by text in painting - from Psalm 94.)
18” x 24”
Medium: Pencil and acrylic paint
If my heart could speak, it would speak of what remains after the fire.
The reaching hand stands in the aftermath... not as rescue, but as resolve. Destruction changes us, but it does not remove our power to shape what comes next.
Rebuilding is a choice.
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
The emblematic Toh bird symbolizes my new beginning in a foreign land. Just as the Toh leaves its cavernous sinkhole home to explore the wide jungle, I left the cavernous walls of a 6x9 cell. I am shedding the heartless value system imposed on me and moving into a new, lighter existence. Although the Toh is flying free, the weight of its past is ever-present.
16” x 20” and 11” x 14” sold as a set of 2
Medium: Acrylic on panel and canvas
The true inspiration behind this piece is life in today's world and all the trials and tribulations that other people are going through I wish for a little reprieve and hope the world can be surrounded by peace at some point.
11” x 14”
The emblematic Toh bird symbolizes my new beginning in a foreign land. Just as the Toh leaves its cavernous sinkhole home to explore the wide jungle, I left the cavernous walls of a 6x9 cell. I am shedding the heartless value system imposed on me and moving into a new, lighter existence. Although the Toh is flying free, the weight of its past is ever-present.
11” x 14”
We all take in other's pain