[0:00] (buoyant music) [0:01] - I guess for the exhibit that's here today, [0:03] it's kind of a combination [0:04] of some of my older, more surreal dream-like work [0:06] combined with some newer, smaller pieces [0:08] that I've been working on in a series [0:10] I've kind of just been calling, "Little Spirits," [0:12] so it's been a lot of, I guess insects and fish [0:15] and then things that brought me joy when I was a little kid. [0:18] I grew up on the Fond du Lac reservation [0:21] and kind of like immersed in the woods [0:23] all the time when I was little [0:24] and I have a lot of really fond memories [0:26] of different iridescent artistic looking insects, [0:29] so it's been kind of fun with my newer work [0:31] to just explore some of the memories [0:33] connected to those animals and little spirits. [0:36] I think it's been fun for me to have, [0:38] I guess an outlet to again explore [0:39] some of those early memories and to think [0:42] about how much they had like an influence, I guess, [0:44] on my artwork. [0:45] I think when you look at like my more surreal artwork, [0:48] some of it has a direct environmental theme, [0:49] but a lot of it is more kind of like pulling [0:51] from the non-real world I guess, [0:54] but kind of doing these more tangible direct artworks [0:57] about creatures has been been kind of fun to explore [1:00] and just like a different pivot for me. [1:02] It's kind of fun for me from the standpoint [1:04] that like people who come here [1:06] are actually like interested in wildlife [1:07] and kind of interested in like the subject matter [1:09] that is in these smaller works [1:11] and it's cool to have like conversations too [1:14] with people who are interested in the subject matter. [1:16] So the other day there was someone who came to the opening [1:19] and he was talking about one of my pieces [1:21] called, "Amidst the Night Orchestra," [1:23] which features some crickets and he shared some stories [1:26] around the sound that nature makes [1:28] and those conversations I feel like can happen [1:30] more so in a place like this where there are people [1:33] who are kind of interested in these things [1:35] versus if it was just in a gallery [1:37] or more sterile space where maybe people are there [1:39] more for the technical side of the art. [1:42] This exhibit, "Little Spirits," is up through January 19th [1:45] and then on January 11th we're doing an artist talk with it [1:48] so folks can come out and meet with me [1:50] and hear more of the stories. [1:52] I'd love to see you guys here, come check out the work, [1:54] see some new work mixed with some old [1:56] and yeah, love to have people stop by. [1:58] (Miri laughing)