Altered State

Altered State 1, 2025

Silkscreen on Canvas

60 × 80 in. (diptych)

My new work explores the transformations of familiar landscapes through altered or imagined interpretations.

Recently, I have immersed myself in the world of Japanese literature, examining works such as Yukio Mishima’s tetralogy, Haruki Murakami’s 1Q84, and Yoko Ogawa’s Memory Police. Each of these narratives delves into themes of transformation and extraordinary events that resonate deeply with my own experiences encountering stories about Hopi mythology and prophecy.

It is evident that our landscape is undergoing a profound transformation, as evidenced by the daily news stories that challenge our perceptions of stability and constancy. Once-unwavering truths are being questioned, and what was considered secure is now at risk. In Ogawa’s Memory Police, the author explores the concept of vanishing objects, including roses, photographs, and birds, among others. This imagery mirrors the palpable changes occurring in our own environment.

Land that has been safeguarded for centuries is now threatened by potential development or resource extraction, potentially leading to the displacement and disappearance of habitats for living organisms. This loss could have catastrophic consequences, resulting in irreparable damage to the natural world.

The term “kincentric” refers to the profound connection between living beings and the responsibility we bear to maintain these relationships. As stewards of this land, we have a moral imperative to protect and foster a more harmonious kinship with the natural environment.

Altered State 2, 2025

Silkscreen on Canvas

60 × 80 in. (diptych)

Altered State 3, 2025

Silkscreen on Canvas

60 × 40 in.

Altered State 5, 2025

Silkscreen on Canvas

58 × 58 in.

Altered State 6, 2025

Silkscreen on Canvas

58 × 58 in.

Yupkoyvi II Series

Yupkoyvi 6 , 2024

UV cured ink on collaged dibond panels in artist's frame

58 x 58 x 2 in.

Edition of 2

Yupkoyvi 7 , 2025

UV cured ink on collaged dibond panels in artist's frame

58 x 58 x 2 in.

Edition of 2

Yupkoyvi 8 , 2025

UV cured ink on collaged dibond panels in artist's frame

58 x 58 x 2 in.

Edition of 2

Disaster Series

Disaster #1, 2024

Silkscreen on Canvas

50 x 60 in.

Disaster Series

My Disaster series depicts a pyrocumulonimbus cloud that occurred during New Mexico’s largest forest fire on record, the Hermits Peak fire, which burned over a period of five months and engulfed 341,000 acres in the north central part of the state. A pyrocumulonimbus cloud is a large anvil shaped storm cloud that forms above an extreme source of heat such as a wildfire, nuclear explosion, or volcanic eruption.

These large format works showcase the pyrocumulonimbus cloud as the central image. The cloud is depicted in different states of growth over the course of one day. For this series I chose to silkscreen the photo images onto canvas. Each image and coloration are unique and explore the Air Quality Index color chart to dictate the color palette. The air quality index color runs from green (safe level) to purple and maroon (extremely unsafe).

Clouds have symbolically been sacred to the Hopi and Tewa people; they provide rain and life to our arid climate. We have ceremonies tied specifically to cloud and rain dances. These ceremonies ensure a cyclical balance of moisture to the region. The cloud in this work represents the change in our planet and a shift in that balance.

Disaster #2, 2024

Silkscreen on Canvas

50 x 55 in.

Disaster #3, 2024

Silkscreen on Canvas

50 x 66 in.

Disaster #4, 2024

Silkscreen on Canvas

50 x 66 in.

Disaster #5, 2024

Silkscreen on Canvas

50 x 66 in.

Disaster #6, 2024

Silkscreen on Canvas

50 x 66 in.

Disaster #7, 2024

Silkscreen on Canvas

50 x 66 in.

Yupkoyvi

Yupkoyvi 5, 2023

Silkscreen on shaped panel

40 x 58 x 1.5 in.

Michael Namingha’s Yupkoyvi series depicts the sacred ancestral lands that make up the present day Chaco Canyon. As the 2020 global pandemic began, the artist canceled a trip to New York, opting to return to the spiritual site of his Puebloan and Hopi ancestors. In the two screen prints, Namingha overlays multiple perspectives, reflecting the sense of temporal dislocation and disorientation that was only heightened by lockdowns. In 2014, NASA scientists discovered a massive pinkish cloud of methane, a product of the region’s oil producers, a spectral presence that looms over the land, and colors the artist’s works. The otherworldly color of the compositions is strangely beautiful, even as it portends a dying planet. Dark clay from a familial site is embedded into the works’ surfaces, linking the artist’s practice to his forebears’ generations of work in clay.

Yupkoyvi 4, 2023

Acrylic, enamel, and acetate powder ink silkscreen with hand applied soil on shaped panel

39 x 40 x 1.5 in.

Yupkoyvi 3, 2023

Silkscreen on shaped panel

40 x 52 x 1.5 in.

Yupkoyvi 2, 2023

Silkscreen on shaped panel

33 x 40 x 1.5 in.

Yupkoyvi, 2023

Acrylic and enamel ink silkscreen with hand applied sand on shaped panel

32 x 68 x 1.5 in.

Altered Landscape III Series

Altered Landscape 18, 2024

Dye Sublimation Print on Shaped Aluminum

44 x 55 x 1 in.

Edition of 2

Altered Landscape 15, 2022

C-Print Face Mounted to Shaped Acrylic

25 x 50 x 1 in.

Edition of 2

Altered Landscape 14, 2022

C-Print Face Mounted to Shaped Acrylic

25 x 50 x 1 in.

Edition of 2

Untitled (Flowers)

Untitled (April 14, 2020 12:59 PM), 2021

Digital C-Print Face Mounted to Shaped Acrylic

20” x 29” x 1”

Edition of 3

Numerous artists and individuals have experienced a “Covid” period, characterized by stories, images, or artistic output that served as a means of coping with that challenging phase of life. The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted the world we inhabit, and its influence continues to be felt. Personally, I was deeply affected by the virus early on in the pandemic. I had been scheduled to travel to New York City the first week of March 2020 to celebrate with some close friends. However, on the day I was scheduled to board my flight, I made the difficult decision to cancel my trip.

As I began reading the various news reports about the rapidly spreading new virus, I felt uneasy about putting myself at the epicenter of the reports. Therefore, I reversed the car and returned home. I promptly messaged my friends to inform them that I would not be able to attend the event. Two weeks later, multiple individuals who had attended the event I was going for contracted COVID-19, and the two people I was scheduled to see passed away four weeks later.

The suddenness and severity of these events left me grappling with a profound sense of loss and grief. I realized that I was not alone in experiencing this emotional turmoil. Grieving at a distance became the new normal. Spring had arrived, and it was the most unusual spring I had ever experienced.

With newfound attention, I noticed the flowers in our garden. Their beauty was undeniable, yet they were a fleeting phenomenon that I understood would eventually fade away. These flowers served as a poignant reminder of the relationships I had lost with my recently departed friends. Each of them had brought something extraordinary and special to my life. The intersecting lines in the flowers represented the paths that our lives had crossed.

It is easy to take our relationships and friendships for granted, but they can be abruptly terminated. This experience serves as a poignant reminder to cherish and appreciate those we hold dear while they are still present in our lives.

Untitled (April 15, 2020 10:58 AM), 2021

Digital C-Print Face Mounted to Shaped Acrylic

20” x 28” x 1”

Edition of 3

Chaco (Yupkoyvi) Series

Chaco (Yupkoyvi), 2021

Digital C-Print Face Mounted to Shaped Acrylic

Edition of 3

28” x 28” x 1”

Chaco 2 (Yupkoyvi), 2021

Digital C-Print Face Mounted to Shaped Acrylic

Edition of 3

24” x 28” x 1”

Chaco 3 (Yupkoyvi), 2021

Digital C-Print Face Mounted to Shaped Acrylic

Edition of 3

15” x 27” x 1”

Chaco 4 (Yupkoyvi), 2021

Digital C-Print Face Mounted to Shaped Acrylic

Edition of 3

20” x 28” x 1”

Yupkoyvi, 2023

Silkscreen and enamel ink with hand-applied sand on shaped panel

32 x 68 x 1.5 in.

Yupkoyvi 2, 2023

Silkscreen and enamel ink on shaped panel

33 x 40 x 1.5 in.

Altered Landscape II Series

Altered Landscape 11, 2021

Digital C-Print Face Mounted to Shaped Acrylic

Edition of 3

42” x 27” x 1”

Altered Landscape 12, 2021

Digital C-Print Face Mounted to Shaped Acrylic

Edition of 3

26” x 38” x 1”

Altered Landscape 13, 2021

Digital C-Print Face Mounted to Shaped Acrylic

Edition of 3

20” x 40” x 1”

Altered Landscape Series

Altered Landscape #1

Digital C-Print Face-Mounted to Shaped Acrylic

35” x 35” x 1”

Edition of 3

Michael Namingha’s (Tewa/Hopi) Altered Landscape series are abstract, photography-based works that juxtapose colored geometric shapes against landscapes of New Mexico. The compositions are mounted to shaped plexiglass, creating the illusion of three-dimensional works.

Altered Landscapes addresses the environmental impact of the oil industry around New Mexico’s Chaco Canyon, a national historic park sacred to the ancestral Puebloans; and the Black Place, Navajo Nation’s Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness. More than 20,000 oil and gas wells are in operation on federally leased land across the 7,500 square miles large San Juan Basin. While 316,000 acres within a 10-mile radius around Chaco Canyon are protected from oil, gas and other mineral extraction, an overground pipeline runs through the Black Place. While the risks of methane waste and related pollution have not been extensively studied, they include health conditions such as respiratory ailments. According to the Environmental Defense Fund, these issues are hitting Indigenous communities particularly hard. While other artists deal with these themes head-on, Namingha’s work is in contrast non-confrontational, even quiet, inviting viewers to contemplate the devastating effects of the oil and gas industries on ancestral lands.

Altered Landscape #2

Digital C-Print Face Mounted to Shaped Acrylic

Edition of 3

20” x 14” x 1”

Altered Landscape #3

Digital C-Print Face Mounted to Shaped Acrylic

Edition of 3

20” x 18.5” x 1”

Altered Landscape #4

Digital C-Print Face Mounted to Shaped Acrylic

19” x 17.5” x 1”

Altered Landscape #5

Digital C-Print Face Mounted to Shaped Acrylic

Edition of 3

17” x 20” x 1”

Altered Landscape #6

Digital C-Print Face Mounted to Shaped Acrylic

Edition of 3

19.5” x 17.75” x 1

Altered Landscape #7

Digital C-Print Face Mounted to Shaped Acrylic

20” x 20” x 1”

Unique

Altered Landscape #8

Digital C-Print Face Mounted to Shaped Acrylic

Unique

20” x 20” x 1”

Altered Landscape #9

Digital C-Print Face Mounted to Shaped Acrylic

20” x 21” x 1”

Edition of 3

Black Place II Series

Black Place #1

Digital C-Print Face-Mounted to Shaped Plexiglas

28” x 40” x 1”

Edition of 3

BP9

Digital C-Print Face Mounted to Shaped Acrylic

Edition of 3

28” x 38” x 1”

BP10

Digital C-Print Face Mounted to Shaped Acrylic

Edition of 3

28” x 30” x 1”

BP11

Digital C-Print Face Mounted to Shaped Acrylic

Edition of 3

27” x 28” x 1”

BP12

Digital C-Print Face Mounted to Shaped Acrylic

Edition of 3

31.5” x 36” x 1”

BP13

Digital C-Print Face Mounted to Shaped Acrylic

Edition of 3

42” x 22” x 1”

BP14

Digital C-Print Face Mounted to Shaped Acrylic

Edition of 3

31” x 19.5” x 1”

Black Place Series

BP7

Digital C-Print Face Mounted to Shaped Plexiglas

Edition of 2

30" x 30"

Black Place, 2017

Digital C-print Face mounted to Shaped Plexiglas

31" x 19"

Edition of 2

BP8

Digital C-Print Face-Mounted to Shaped Plexiglas

Edition of 2

43" x 28.5"

BP4

Digital C-Print Face Mounted to Shaped Plexiglas

40" x 40"

Edition of 2

BP5

Digital C-Print Face-Mounted to Shaped Plexiglas

20" x 25"

Edition of 2

BP6

Digital C-Print Face-Mounted to Shaped Plexiglas

32" x 30"

Edition of 2

BP3, 2017

Digital C-print Face-mounted to Shaped Plexiglas

19" x 38"

Edition of 2

BP1, 2017

Digital C-print Face-mounted to Plexiglas

Edition of 2

23" x 27"

Grand Canyon

Digital C-Print Face Mounted to Shaped Plexiglas

Edition of 2

36" x 35.25" (approx.)

GC2

Digital C-Print Face Mounted to Shaped Plexiglas

Edition of 2

41" x 29" approx.

Galisteo Basin II

Digital C-Print Face Mounted to Shaped Plexiglas

Edition of 2

38" x 38" approx.

AB

Digital C-Print Face Mounted to Shaped Plexiglas

Edition of 2

23" x 28" approx.

ABIQUIU

Digital C-Print Face Mounted to Shaped Plexiglas

Edition of 2

30" x 32"

Words

VOTE

Archival Pigment Print on Hahnamuhle Paper

30” x 30”

Edition of 3

BIG LOVE

Powder Coated Aluminum

56” x 41” x 1”

Edition of 2

YOU ARE HERE

Powder Coated Aluminum

38” x 50” x 1”

Edition of 3

LUST

Archival Pigment Print on Hahanmuhle Paper

Edition of 3

30" x 30"

LOVE (Red)

Archival Pigment Print on Hahnemühle Paper

Edition of 3

30" x 30"

LOVE (Black)

Archival Pigment Print on Hahnemühle Paper

Edition of 3

30" x 30"

FRESH (Black)

Archival Pigment Print on Hahnemühle Paper

Edition of 3

30" x 30"

DOPE (Black)

Archival Pigment Print on Hahnemühle Paper

Edition of 3

30" x 30"

NO

Archival Pigment Print on Hahnemühle Paper

Edition of 3

30" x 30"

YES

Archival Pigment Print on Hahnemühle Paper

Edition of 3

30" x 30"

KISS ME

Archival Pigment Print on Hahnemühle Paper

Edition of 3

30" x 30"