"Hello, Greetings! My name is Clinessia Lucas. I was born and raised on the Hopi Reservation. I have been an artist since I was born. The artistic genes just run threw my blood, from both my mother and father's sides of the family. I picked up the drawing and painting skills fast as I was growing up. My mother was a really great canvas painter and my father is a really good wood carver, as he made sculptures out of cottonwood. They both had great colorful imaginary minds to do any kind of art they put their hands on. But to have the ability to work with silver was taught to me by my teacher, Mr. Gerald Lomaventema, who is a well known silversmith. He taught me how to cut, mat, shape, overlay, set stones and cast with copper and silver. My grandfather, Mr. Glenn Lucas was also a great well known silversmith as well as wood carver, whose artwork is now in the Northern Arizona Museum on display for people to see. It is wonderful to have these hands-on skills and artists all around me encouraging me to keep striving for my dreams and to pursue my art career, that is, anything is possible if you keep putting your heart and mind to it. So if it wasn't for my parents, teacher and grandfather to have these great colorful, extraordinary, meaningful talents, I wouldn't be here today to express myself and show everyone my meaningful artwork to this world. I like to encourage other young up-coming artists out there to keep striving to do what you love to do. Art can come in all types of ways we like to express ourselves. Life is full of colors, meaning and expressions; it's up to the mind & body to fulfill its DESTINY."