Blake Nelson "Shawa'koon" Lepine

Blake was surrounded by many artistic family members who encouraged him to draw animals and trace old designs at a young age. In his early 20s, Blake began to pursue an artistic career more seriously and studied under his mother Karen Lepine and other artists including Mike Dangali, Brian Walker, Duran Henry and Ken Anderson.

Blake works in multiple mediums including silk screens, beadwork, texting and sewing, collage and block printing. Primarily however, Blake is known for mixing traditional designs with contemporary media such as found materials like laminate flooring. In addition to his art practice, Blake practices traditional song, dance, language and medicine. He attends language camps and actively works with the elders in his community to help revitalize the Tlingit language.