November is almost here and some say the veil is thinner. The time to reconnect with ancestors and to honor and show gratitude. The opening of Kūpuna feels so appropriate, meaning ancestor or grandparent in Hawaiian. Zasha Welsh showcases her beautiful artwork paying homage to the elements within her work; “the rocks, the plants and the animals are all kūpuna, meaning ancestor or grandparent. They came before us in the timeline of our planet and they made us who we are with their influences and nurturing.” Zasha a Irish and Native Hawaiian artist and botanist currently resides in Flagstaff, Arizona doing field work.

Zasha’s exhibition, Kūpuna opens November 4th at The HeArt Box in downtown Flagstaff and runs until November 26th.

Jill got to ask Zasha a few questions about her work and the upcoming show.

How did your beginning into art start?

ZW - Art was very important to me as a child. It allowed me praise. I’ve always been extremely opinionated, resolved, and shy. Art allowed me to have a strong presence without having to say anything. My art was very typical as a child. In my 20’s I was obsessed with egalitarian art, stained glass windows and furniture. I started painting after finishing my biology degree in 2019. It was a response to the rigidity of school and a longing to reconnect with my creative side. I also started moving around constantly for work at this time and departed with my tools. I started painting because I could put everything I needed in an ammo can and paint freely wherever I went.

Where do you get your inspiration from in your work?

ZW - Most of my paintings are inspired by moments of infatuation. I will stumble upon some happening outside; a pattern repeating itself like a wave of a rapid or a moment of curiosity like a stare down with a coyote. I feel held in those moments in a simple way that makes me feel expansive. In our places that we create, our buildings and our streets, I feel catered to and held in a way that is unsettling at times. The paintings are altars to some fracture that is both real and imaginary between us and our not so ancient past. A place and time that’s not impossible to return to but not ideal. Like a wish to return to childhood that’s rejected when you realize the value of the learning and experience age has brought you. I still long for wildness and childhood but I find peace in knowing that those things are in my blood and in my mind and what we choose to feed gets stronger.

Being a botanist, is there one plant that you don’t get tired of painting?

ZW - The genus Calochortus which includes sego lilies, mariposas and star tulips are diverse in color and texture, but all share a common form. I would love to attempt to capture their individuality. They are particularly diverse on the pacific coast and in that way, they remind me of home.

Do you have a goal, desire, or intention for the art you create?

ZW - The act of making art is mostly for my own entertainment, but the sharing of art is more of an expression of a love for community. I believe I will live a longer and more fulfilling life if I can exercise my creative mind. My fathers’ mother told me this. She lived this so truly that she left behind a book, paintings, and needlework that she was working on up until she laid down to die. I also believe that others can receive life from the art I make. I have experienced creative exchange in so many ways throughout my life. Creative minds support each other in community, and we all have creative minds. By loving and supporting myself enough to share my art in public maybe I can get more people out doing the same.

Where do you see your work going into the future?

ZW - In the future I want to do more sculpture or even incorporate more sculpture into my paintings. I like to collect paintings with frames that are as ornate as the painting itself but also complimentary to each other. I would like to carve my own irregular frames or canvases out of wood or clay. I would like to play with using colored glass over my images or painting on colored glass. I want to do more hand building with clay and learn more about welding. In the future I want more space and tools to be wilder and more experimental with materials.

I also want to do a series on memories of Washington State and another series for Hawaii. I hope I can build my resume and get a residency or simply save up and stay with family for a longer more intentional chunk of time. I have a lot of stories to tell about those places but it’s important for me to be in the place I’m painting. I wouldn’t want to attempt that work in the Southwest.

How do you choose your medium, working with mixed media is there a media you like best? Does the subject matter, your connection, ect. drive the choices of the materials you choose?

ZW - If I am painting plein air or from a photo I took I will likely stick to watercolor and try for a realistic look. If I’m painting from memory or from a place of emotion I like to use as many media as I can fit on the paper. The more the composition wonders from an actual experience the more vivid the colors and surreal the scenes. So far watercolor is always my base, so I suppose it is my favorite, but I love the interaction of multiple media. They all have their own personalities, and they all get along differently. I find it all very fascinating and scientific to explore these relationships.

Kūpuna is on display at The HeArt Box in downtown Flagstaff from November 4th - 26th, 2022.

Visit Kūpuna Exhibition

Kūpuna with Zasha Welsh

The Heart Box Gallery + Studio