ABOUT
The Story.
Monica’s work attempts to highlight the lives of Native American people, with her primary focusing being Indigenous women. Monica uses her art to provide a visual history and culturally authentic experience.
The Process.
Monica uses non-traditional methods of painting (layers of resin, inks, gold leaf) to create richly colored abstract backgrounds in a style she refers to as “3-D collage”. She combines these 3-D elements with portraits of family members, ancestors, and relatives of friends to create a layered composition in which light and shadows change depending on viewpoint. Monica hopes that her paintings exhibit a celebration of Native American cultures as well as spark dialogue and educate.
The Artist.
Monica Gilles-BringsYellow is an Indigenous woman who was born, raised, and lives in Montana.
She started experimenting in painting in the summer of 2019 purely for enjoyment after graduating with her Masters in Social Work. Monica initially painted abstract landscapes. In the spring of 2020 she started incorporating portraits of Indigenous women.
When Monica is not painting she is a therapist for children.