William Armstrong

After living most of his life on the East Coast, the artist found the love of his life and new inspiration by moving to New Mexico. Researching his family’s roots in the West, he uncovered the truth about a precious family heirloom. A map hanging in the family room of his grandparents’ home depicted the native territories from Fort Leavenworth to the Great Salt Lake. When he was a kid, the artist used this map for inspiration to play cowboys and Indians with his friends. As an adult artist, some time was spent to uncover the deeper, darker history. A great, great uncle was on the cartography team that documented those native territories. That map was used to control the indigenous people that lived on these lands. By using an archivally magnified version of the family map as the background collage for his paintings, the artist explores tall tales and legends, meeting at a crossroads of history and truth, lies and legend.