MIRIYA

Raised on the high prairies of the American West, Miriya was always reaching for pencils, paints, and anything else that could be used to capture and describe the world around her. From an early age, art became a way to express her inner thoughts and experiences. Like many young artists, she spent years searching for exactly what that expression meant, especially in relation to how their environment shaped her perspective.

In typical childhood fashion, she came to resent the land that surrounded her. Her interests were focused on contemporary art, and she wanted to stay as far away from what she viewed as “cowboy art” as possible. That perspective changed during college. She had the privilege of earning an Associate of Fine Arts degree in Sheridan, Wyoming. Just outside her dormitory window stood the breathtaking Bighorn Mountains, and it was there that she realized rejecting the pull of the Western landscape had been a mistake.

While she still values the contemporary work that helped shape her as an artist, her focus has expanded to embrace the wonder of sweeping landscapes, Western wildlife, and the rich visual motifs that define the American West. Through her work, she seeks to celebrate the beauty, spirit, and enduring influence of the land that has always been home.