Hali

Visual Art – Tulsa

I mostly paint on paper bags and other surfaces I find. Partly because of my budget; mostly because I think to myself \"Why buy watercolor paper when this brown bag holds paint AND has a lovely texture?\". And I like saving things from becoming trash. In a culture where most of the things around us are used as long as they\'re serving their given purpose, it\'s good to look at something and question how it can be further used. Growing up I remember learning about the native americans and how they used every part of an animal they killed; about how every organism in an ecosystem has an important role—no matter how disgusting or insignificant we feel it is; I remember hearing that everyone matters, they have something to share even if they\'re mean, or scary, or addicts, or homeless. They have their own story. Those are some of the things have influenced me in the way I live— which carries over to my art. I use what I have/find to express an idea or feeling with paint, or ink, or whatever. I take \"trash\" and do stuff to it and it\'s no longer trash. It\'s not materials that I\'m changing, but perspectives.