Symbolisms of Elimination of Innocence.       Twenty Five Aleut Girls of Unga Island Alaska

     Profile Figure: (Virtue)  Eye Closed: (Freedom)  Ear: (Hearing the call of the Creator)  Earring: (State flower, Forget-me-not:(Culture remembered)                   Lips open:( Relinquishing life to the Creator)  Butterfly: (Rebirth resurrection)  Hair: ( Crowns Beauty)   Cheek and Chin marks: (Wisdom and Grace)                   Bird Headdress with Teardrop: (Nature Mourning)  Aleut Hunting Hat: (Noble People)  Stem of Berries: (Number of Girls Honored)                                             Russian Orthodox Cross: (Faith)  Birds in Flight: (Soul Carriers)  Pictographic Figures: (Unga Girls)                                                                                                                                           Original Painting series remains on permanent display: Museum Boulogne-Sur-Mer France                                                 

                   Magpie Teardrop 

          Northern Pintail Teardrop 

         Horned Grebe Teardrop 

Birds Represented: Magpies, Yellow-Rumped Warbler Also pictured in each image of the Aleut Girls Story of Tears, rare Blue Butterflies 

   Birds Represented: Northern Pintail, Thick Billed     Murre, Black Albatross, Bar-tailed Godwit, Black       Scoter, Whiskered Auklet, Emperor Goose, Long-       tailed Jaeger, Arctic Tern, Fork-tail Storm Petrel

Birds represented: Horned Grebe, Short Dowitcher, Sooty Shearwater, Greater Yellow Legs, Common Eider, Horned Puffin, Sandhill Crane, Common Merganser, Red-Faced Cormorant, Harlequin Duck, Mew Gull, Black Oystercatcher 

                             Karla Nolen Sun'aq Aleut

                     Aleut Artist, Karla Nolen 

Born in Washington her roots from the Island of Kodiak came by way of her Grandmother. Her beading journey began in 2019 with encouragement of pictures stories and the Alutiiq museum.

I had the opportunity to meet Karla at the Stonington Gallery in Seattle Washington were her beautifully crafted Aleut inspired head dress' shared exhibit during Novembers month long solo show for Thomas Stream:  A Retrospective that honored his life and legacy of the last works before his passing. 

As seen in the colorful and meticulous images of her work on this slideshow will only offer a slight dimension of the quality that a live view further hosts. Story titles compliment and dovetail to bring Ancestral icons into images.

The story and lore that follows these creations are outlined by the artist in her quest to replicate the vision by hand. Using love, friendship, seasons, tragedy, the human spirit and endurance as her palate.

You can catch a real glance of Karla's work on permanent display at Stonington Gallery Seattle Washington. And more about her life and talents. Thanks Karla