Destanie Clayton

TSF 2018 Visual ArtistDestanie Clayton is a member of the Nisga’a Nationfrom the village of Gitlaxt’aamiks (New Aiyansh). Her family house is Wisin Xbil’tkw and is a part of the Git’aast tribe (Killer whale). She is in her 3rd year at Emily Carr University with a major in painting.

Her work is conceptual and focuses on the viewer—allowing the viewer take hold of the forms in front of them without being bound to the intent of her vision. Her two works exhibited in Salmon Going Up River explore the notion of landscape as influenced by the physical world that envelops life on Canada’s West Coast—the mountains, sky and inherently water; not only the ocean, but rivers, lakes, waterfalls and rain. Contained within this backdrop a surreal space emerges, the psychological landscapes of the mind constructing illusions of reality. Using colour as a tool, she chooses to maintain a monochromatic palette of a range of blues. Blending and layering of the medium suggests fluid movement. Avoiding hyper realistic representation, her intention is to create a space for the viewer to enter and roam throughout her paintings. This ambiguity allows the viewer to interact with her work by making this space their own.