Community + Culture You create art in a variety of mediums — acrylic painting, beadwork, fiber art, murals, among them. What are you concentrating your time on right now? In the beginning of the pandemic, I was getting some recognition in the art industry and had this big exhibition. I got the whole gallery to myself, and I curated it with work by my family and myself. We had two parties for the opening, and then nobody could see the exhibition because we went into lockdown.
Photo courtesy Paige Pettibon
Art for the Community Visual artist Paige Pettibon’s striking work integrates virtues of her Lushootseed culture By Natasha Dillinger
Paige Pettibon (paigepettibon.com) is a Tacoma-based artist whose heritage is Salish (from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes), Black and white. She shares her multicultural background with the community through art mediums that include acrylic painting, fiber art, beadwork, mural design and more. As a student and teacher of the Coast Salish Lushootseed language, Pettibon incorporates three virtues of Lushootseed culture into her art: being kind, being helpful and sharing. Murals she designed are on proud display at the new Kraken Community Iceplex (krakencommunityiceplex.com) and North Seattle Community College (northseattle.edu), and her beadwork is available for purchase through her Plain to Sea Instagram account (@plain_to_sea). We caught up with Pettibon to talk about her recent projects and the importance of
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art in bringing communities together.
How did you get your start as an artist? Art is one of the most accessible forms of expression and communication for kids. My parents really facilitated art in our household. There were always books around as well as colored pencils, paper and markers. In middle school and high school, art was a really good way for me to express my feelings and emotions. A lot of us don’t have the words to articulate how we feel — or exercise tools like meditation to balance our lives — so art was something that was in my tool belt that I felt confident in; it made me feel really good. I am a visual artist, but I do poetry and creative writing to express how I feel. [Art has] always been an outlet for me to express myself creatively and give myself balance.
After that, I shifted my focus to digital art. I got myself an iPad and I started working with the Procreate [graphics editor] app. It’s pretty user-friendly compared to other digital programs, and I watched a lot of YouTube videos. My partner self-studies in a lot of digital art, photography and 3D modeling, and he taught me how to use Adobe Illustrator. It’s really helpful in creating murals and designs quickly, where you want people to see what you can do. It’s been a good way for me to create art at home — I don’t have to wait for paint to dry or order supplies that are in high demand. I don’t want to say I get bored, but I have this desire to not do one thing for a very long period of time. I have to get my hands dirty. I make jewelry all of the time. I try to be innovaSeed-beaded circle earrings tive with that, by Paige Pettibon too. I use a lot of natural materials, such as shells or stones. I try to keep it current and fresh, and I push myself a little bit further. Your murals at the Kraken Community Iceplex are beautiful, bold and striking! What was the inspiration for your designs and what do they represent? Because it’s an iceplex, it will get chilly! [I wanted to convey] a warm-blanket feeling
