Fairuza Balk (born May 21, 1974) is an American actress, musician, and visual artist known for her roles in indie films and popular hits. She's recognized for playing unique characters. Her career took off with "Return to Oz" (1985) and includes standout performances in "Gas Food Lodging" (1992) and as Nancy Downs in "The Craft" (1996), for which she won an MTV Movie Award. Other notable films include "American History X" (1998) and "Almost Famous" (2000). Balk has also appeared on TV in shows like "The Worst Witch" (1986) and more recently in "Ray Donovan" (2015) and "Paradise City" (2021). Besides acting, she's been making music under the name Armed Love Militia since 2010. ARTIST STATEMENTCreativity has been stirring in my soul since before I was born. Being the offspring of an entire family involved in the arts, I have always created art in one form or another. I began working with paint at fifteen years old, and shortly after, I was accepted to the Emily Carr Art College in Vancouver, British Columbia. However, I was not able to attend, as my acting career had taken off. Expressing myself through "painted" imagery was put on hold, as my storytelling through my acting gained a large audience. Never wanting to lose touch with the "canvas," I continued my passion for painting over the years, studying art privately. I was asked to participate in the 2008 H.O.P.E. event, which is a yearly fundraiser for the orphans of Darfur. This gave me the incentive I needed to work with a new medium that I had wanted to explore for a while. This process is a form of forced oxidation with rust that I can then use for a richly varied surface that enhances the narrative images that were coming through me. It gives me great joy to work on this new series, and I am incredibly excited about sharing these pieces with a wider audience.