Exploring the boundaries of the ancient Tlingit formline art through the lens of modern illustration and design. This is a living tradition – not a museum piece. The ovoid and U-form carry their meaning into new materials and new contexts, while the cultural logic stays intact.
Tlingit Formline Art: Discover the Styles
Neon Series: Tlingit Formline Art
Installed at 5th and Pike in Seattle, Winter 2025. A vibrant series rooted in Northwest Coast ovoid and U-form structure, with deep cultural ties. Bold electric colors, traditional composition – this work drew steady crowds through the winter.
Waterfront Murals
Created for the Seattle Waterfront Pop-ups in 2024. Classic formline structure reinterpreted as comic-style illustrations of the Orca, Eagle, Wolf, and Shark. Each design started from the traditional crest animal and was pushed into a bolder, more graphic register.
Urban Graffiti
Integrating urban graffiti aesthetics with the geometric logic of Northwest Coast design. These works live in the tension between street culture and ancestral form. The ovoid holds its ground even in a spray-painted world. Each piece starts from primary form, secondary form, tertiary fill – then breaks the surface into something new.
Vibrant Watercolor
Dramatic cosmic watercolors and designs drawn from the ancient Northwest Coast tradition. The work uses pigment and atmosphere the way formline uses the ovoid – as a container for meaning, not just decoration. Stars, depth, and movement – organized by the same formal logic that appears on a clan screen.
Northwest Diné Jewelry
A COLLABORATION OF ART AND HERITAGE
Handcrafted silver and turquoise from the Southwest. Dine artists make each piece using traditional methods in contemporary forms, in small batches. The work holds its own cultural heritage – distinct from formline, but in dialogue with it.
Formline Workshops
Immersive Tlingit formline art workshops at Art Zowie in Seattle. Learn the ancient logic of this Northwest Coast tradition on red cedar panels. Open to all skill levels – no art background required, just curiosity about the tradition.