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, “We Rise”.  It is India Ink and acrylic on canvas.  Derek says that this piece has the two horsemen as reflections of one another.  They are the “battle for the inner self” but look closer and you can see smiles, as it is a non-violent confrontation.  The style has a modernist appearance with the black and white coloration.  While it may seem easy, watching Derek paint with India ink has its own challenges and “control of the flow”. Derek said the imagery for this painting came from a Sun Dance.  The use of the gold-painted areas to signify the importance of the reins, shields, or quivers as the subtle strong elements within his paintings.  Derek is an exceptional artist and an important voice among young Native artists!

Derek said of this show, “Charging Forward”:

“Charging Forward is how I’ve always felt as an artist and a Native American person.  Life and art should never be stagnant.  We are water that trickles down slow from a melting glacier turning into powerful rivers carving through mountains and returning to the source to do it all again.  Everyone living right now on the planet is charging forward.  We are the future and the past combined.  We are alive.”