As a graphic artist Douglas Miles connects the universal imagery of skateboard culture with today’s Indian youth of the Southwest. His depictions of fierce Apache men and women, often holding the iconic Peacemaker guns, redefine the mythos of the American Indian warrior. Likewise, Miles’ “Rez” portraits display a contemporary aesthetic with a distinct Native edge. Merging his graphic sensibility with a proud heritage and a bit of irony, Miles concocts a striking blend that is both visually and conceptually arresting. The Apache skateboards break through a seemingly closed mainstream American boundary, reasserting and affirming the presence of Indian youth in today’s urban culture. 

Douglas Miles is from the San Carlos Apache Nation; his ancestry is also shared with the Akimel O’odham tribal area. Douglas has recently shown his work at Princeton University, Self Help Graphics of Los Angeles and The Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History.