Jake was born on the outskirts of a widely respected and involved Native American family from Massachusetts. He feels that he is forever occupying the cultural space between his Native Heritage and his traditional American upbringing. His work is primarily a study of visual culture, a representation of himself in that emotionally complicated space. His paintings depict colorful and powerful portraits that are dismantled and pieced together creating artworks that combine cultural pattern work with contemporary design. It’s hard to say whether his process brings him closer to his Native Heritage or merely cements him in this place of emotional and visual limbo. Follow Jake at @makerjake or visit his website.
