Running Strong for American Indian Youth® Dreamstarter Creative Camas Logue (Klamath Tribes) of La Connor, Washington, told us in his grant application that his favorite medium is oil paint, saying, “I am most able to express the patterns and layers I find when observing the land through this medium.”
And for his Dreamstarter Creative project, “I will be addressing the preservation of Klamath Lake, a body of water that is critical to my tribe’s survival.
“Currently there are huge problems with the local agricultural/ranching industry that are creating conflicts between the tribe and local settlers. This projects focus is to create awareness of our endangered C’waam and Koptu fish and the dying Klamath Lake,” he told us. “I plan to make a series of large copper plate drypoint prints depicting the C’waam and Koptu fish. I will be using pigment ink made from the same toxic algae that is choking out the oxygen levels and killing the fish.”
Recently, Camas reported on his project, “C’waam – The Survival of Klamath Lake and the Klamath” that he is working on the etching of a large copper plate drypoint depicting the C’waam fish.
“I have collected and made pigment ink from the same toxic algae that is choking out the oxygen levels and killing the fish,” he said. “I traveled to my homelands to collect algae from Klamath Lake to process into ink and document the endangered and endemic C’waam fish.”
Using his $2,500 Dreamstarter Creative grant he purchased materials for creating the copper plate print, ink processing, other materials and transportation costs.
Camas also reported that he received a printmaking artist residency at Sitka Center for the Arts to make prints to share with the public.
“I feel my success was finding these endangered and endemic fish to document and spend time connecting with them, my homelands and the water,” says Camas.
“I hope this project is something to look back on as a moment in time where our fish, water and land was in danger and we were able to be there for it – and have it remain for future generations.”
