In Connecting Story, Clark portrays Epiphany Couch, a Portland-based multimedia artist who uses lithography, bookmaking, archival materials and photographs to understand her Yakama, Puyallup and Scandinavian heritage. The painting’s aerial view divides the composition in two: one side occupied by Couch, on the floor where she sits perusing a trunk of family photographs and the other side filled with a Western-style desk topped with a grid mat. Couch’s arm reaches up in a gesture that bridges these influences, both literally and symbolically.

The trunk of memories fades in the shadows, while certain artifacts – brought into the light of the table – become legible. Epiphany chooses what to bring forth; they stand out from their surroundings, take on tinges of it, and are changed in the process of becoming visible.