Derek No-Sun Brown carries on the ancestry from the Shoshone-Bannock, Klamath, and Anishinabe people. He was raised with a strong traditional foundation and continues to maintain indigenous ways of prayer and philosophy that are evident through his art.  This painting is entitled, “Rose Series II”.  It is India Ink and acrylic on canvas.  The style has a modernist appearance with the black and white coloration.  While it may seem easy, watching Derek paint with the Sumi ink has its own challenges and “control of the flow”. There are so many subtle aspects to this painting, it is quite exceptional.  Derek said he decided to paint roses instead of the shields on many of his new pieces, partially in a tribute to his new daughter.  They are painted with acrylic.  The last photos are of this painting in process.  Derek is an exceptional artist and an important voice among young Native artists!

A bit more about Derek:

Derek No-Sun grew up on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in Idaho and the Boise Forte Reservation in northern Minnesota.  Traveling back and forth to his maternal and paternal homelands is how the young artist began to expand his mind and see things from an alternate perspective. No-Sun has been quoted as saying “Being exposed to different cultures at an early age made me appreciate and love all my people because we are connected to the same source, we all fight the same war and share the same struggle. The Source is our ceremony and the struggle that is shared between all Native people are issues of identity, poverty, degradation of indigenous culture, and land. The war is the ways in which Native people fight against these issues; today we fight using education, legislation, music, art, and many other facets other than non-physical solutions.”  No-Sun added “Art for me was a way to combat the negative aspects of reservation life because a lot of things are out of your control at a young age, and art was something I could control, it eased my anxiety and gave me an outlet for my energy.”