Artist statement: Wrapped with beads, this dual sided painting holds materials that span from household items to hides on the back. Beaded gestures dance with painted gestures, with both materials sitting on a level playing field. I wrap willow and medicines within the beaded whipstitched border as another act of protection and a sort of honouring for plants and land themselves. This is a painting of a young horse, a mare, balancing herself up. I was thinking about how animals teach us, how they grow, how they provide for us, and how the weaker joints of this mare will grow into such a powerful animal. I think of this horse in tandem with my voice and other Indigenous voices, where we are fierce, and live with our lands, and how we trot thoughtfully and stomp and make noise when we need to protect.