While abstract, Last Gun’s ledger drawings also stay true to history as they document his experience and contemporary history, recording personal and family accolades and successes.

His bold and colorful shapes expose, smudge and color block over the ledger entries, playing with the importance of the historical document versus its use as an object for making art. Handwritten ledgers offer direct access to the past, making it seem almost alive in the present. Handwriting has always been affected by changing social and cultural forces. For example, contemporary technological inclinations to create letters lists and fill out documents on laptops and phones question whether future generations will ever remember filling out a form with a pen. The history of ledger art combines stamped dates, watermarks, and 19th and 20th-century filigrees with the expressions of native artists to create physical connections between human minds. This prompts Last Gun to consider what his people and other Indigenous peoples were experiencing at the time. He explains that these documents have had their own lives, recording layers of the darkest American histories: invasion, colonization, being forced out of traditional territories, incarceration, and boarding schools. Innovating on ledger documents is an act of agency, playing with and adding new layers to its history, moving it forward to today.

After each image is finished, he looks at the piece, writes down the main words that come to mind, and gives it a name in an almost ceremonial-like manner. Terran’s in-depth titles are meant to provide insight into the artist’s mind and give some context to insert the viewer’s experience.