“Ledger art is about documenting and recording Indigenous peoples' way of life and personal experiences here in North America. That's what I enjoy about this medium; it reveals moments in time and is reminiscent of painted war robes and lodges of ancient times. My father, Terrance Guardipee Last Gun, is a ledger artist and was amongst the artists who helped revive this art form. I grew up seeing his work, and I am still much inspired by his use of our Piikani (Blackfeet) narratives, historical warrior figures, animals, and geometric symbols. My father also gave me some of my first ledger paper and various other people since then. I let the ledger paper sit with me for some years before I finally started working with it—really, it was the pandemic that sort of forced me into this new artistic venture. I applied the visual vocabulary that I've been working with and built over the years to this old yet unique way of visually communicating.

This new body of work is about Piikani cosmic narratives and the field of astronomy. One of my most recent projects included creating work for an article about translating physics into the Blackfoot language, which this body of work draws from. This work also explores optical illusion and color interaction. These various layers to my work depart and add something new to ledger art history. The titles also give the viewer insight into some of the ideologies behind the work.

Throughout ledger history, you see accounts and a record of early times up to today. You see ceremonies, warriors, war deeds, US military encounters and intrusion, the introduction of wagons, umbrellas, and automobiles. My work is abstract and layered in meaning with the same sense of timeless symbology that I feel is restoring a sense of balance or perhaps reconfiguration for a new narrative.

I hope my exhibition work as a whole radiates the same positive energy I feel and see when viewing this work in person. The Sun, Moon, and Morning Star are important figures in Piikani/Blackfoot Confederacy culture and history and have continually inspired my work. I think a lot about our relationship with them and the rest of the cosmos as human beings on Earth. I hope the viewer leaves with a sense of awareness of contemporary Piikani art and a glimpse into what the continuation of ledger art looks like today.” Terran Last Gun