Sophia Anderson grew up on the Shoalwater Bay Tribal Reservation in a rural area of the Olympic peninsula.
Anderson’s work is inspired by the experience of growing up on traditional coastal land surrounded by her tribal community, and the transition to life away from her roots; her process is how she renegotiates the intersections of her changing identity. She currently resides on the Shoalwater Bay Tribal Reservation where she is the tribal librarian.
Photo by Brian Cruikshank 2023
Transmuting between painting and installation:
Sophia paints exclusively in series, working and reworking a subject until she gets to the essence of it. She works with found materials such as wood panels salvaged from the beach she grew up on; using objects found on her native land feels to her like using locks of her own hair.
photo by Sierra Grove