This is my story

I am Le’Ana Asher, an Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) oil painter, an enrolled member of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, and a descendant of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. Now based in the Chicago area, my connection to my Ojibwe identity has been anchored by my native family and by returning home to the reservation throughout my life. Through those journeys home, I connected deeply with our culture: the songs, ceremonies, powwow drums, intricate beadwork, and our elders' wisdom. I am Ojibwe, and my art reflects that lived reality. Today, I carry those stories forward through canvas and pigment for my children and future generations.

Working primarily in oil alongside photography, my practice spans original Indigenous portraits, figurative works, landscapes, and native botanicals. Rooted in powwow culture, handmade regalia, and the woodland plants of our ancestral homelands, my style moves between realism and expressive brushwork. Every piece is a visual story of belonging, sovereignty, and our unbroken connection to the land.

Although I have created art my entire life, dedicating myself fully to a professional practice in 2017 marked a pivotal shift. Since then, my work has appeared on PBS and in national publications, been exhibited at prestigious venues including the Santa Fe Indian Market (SWAIA) and the Eiteljorg Museum Indian Market, and been acquired by first-time buyers and seasoned collectors alike.

Recently, my paintings have begun to examine the unseen systems that frame how society views history, identity, and truth. Anishinaabe language, ceremony, and ways of knowing have always existed outside those constructs, enduring despite centuries of attempted erasure. Through layered imagery and symbolism, I invite viewers to look beyond what they have been taught to see and connect with what has always been here.

— Le’Ana Asher