Kay WalkingStick: Self Through Landscape by Olivia Tinkham https://padlet.com/otinkha/kaywalkingstick en-us 2022-04-04 00:24:28 UTC 2022-11-11 22:31:10 UTC hello@padlet.com Introduction otinkha https://padlet.com/otinkha/kaywalkingstick/wish/2127654589 Kay WalkingStick is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and a celebrated landscape artist. She was born in 1935 in Syracuse, NY. WalkingStick received a B.F.A in 1959 from Arcadia University and a M.F.A in 1975 from Pratt Institute. WalkingStick is known for her Diptych portrayals of Native American land, or land she considers to be “her own.” Through these paintings, WalkingStick addresses the injustices which Native American citizens have been dealt. She paints mostly in oil and features Native American designs and motifs from multiple different tribes in her work. Her work began to gain popularity between the modernism and postmodernism movements of the 1960’s and 70’s, evident in the no-nonsense, basic-realism style of her early career. WalkingStick began her professional career exploring femininity and the body through her art. In doing this, she created silhouette style work depicting the female body. These works addressed several different issues being discussed in the feminist movement of the time. WalkingStick has had to come to terms with both her heritage and her identity; as a woman and as a Cherokee citizen. The development of this identity can be seen in her work as it matures and grows with her.

WalkingStick has sought out spiritual truth through her paintings, making viewers answer the question, “who really owns these lands?” She looks for the truth in these landscapes while also attempting to accept the history of her people, which has been forgotten and ignored throughout history. At the same time, she advocates for native communities by reminding her audience of the history hidden in America's land as well as the tragedies suffered by the Native American people. The landscape means a lot to WalkingStick, even becoming a stand-in for her own body at times. She sees herself as united with the land; both in body and soul. WalkingStick seems to feel a kinship with the red dust of the desert and the mist of the mountains. While exploring these landscapes, she seems to explore herself, contemplating her own history at the same time.

The following works are some of which express the themes most important to WalkingStick. She focused on the liberation of the female body and women's sexuality early on in her career through colorful minimal paintings such as Two Women II and Me and My Neon Box. These early works advocate for restoring the power women have over their own body. WalkingStick was also able to explore her own figure through these paintings as she used herself as the model. Eventually, WalkingStick would move on to painting the landscape with a style rooted in realism. These works were void of any representation of the figure for years, such as in Where are the Generations?. WalkingStick herself made an observation about this, saying, "In fact, [the figure's] absence had seemed crucial to the significance of the work. It had been the uninhabitable landscape I sought in relation to the eternal." WalkingStick connects the body and the landscape time and time again, even in its absence. The landscape paintings she created in this time would become some of her most prolific work. She addressed Native American issues, reminding the viewer of the history which is so often hidden from us. WalkingStick continued to develop her work, eventually uniting the landscape and the body once again in her diptychs. Works like Gioioso I - Fieta and Blame the Mountains III exemplify this sense of unity which WalkingStick feels with the land. She brings together these two major themes of her work flawlessly, reminding the viewer of how she sees both the world and herself.

“Kay WalkingStick: An American Artist.” National Museum of the American Indian. Smithsonian Institution, 2015.

Sonneborn, Liz. "WalkingStick, Kay." In A to Z of Women: American Indian Women, by Liz Sonneborn. 3rd ed. Facts On File, 2016.

WalkingStick, Kay. “Artist Statement.” Kay WalkingStick : Artist statement, 2021. 
]]> 2022-04-04 00:29:58 UTC https://padlet.com/otinkha/kaywalkingstick/wish/2127654589 Farewell to the Smokies, 2007. Oil on wood panel, 36" x 72" x 1. Denver Art Museum. otinkha https://padlet.com/otinkha/kaywalkingstick/wish/2127700501 Farewell to the Smokies, 2007, is another example of the landscape diptych format WalkingStick used. This one, however, very clearly addresses some Native American issues. Pictured is a line of Cherokee people, walking from the left to the right, referencing the relocation of native people from their homelands. Their heads are hung and these figures look minuscule next to the enormous mountains. This is clearly a depiction of loss. The native people, as they walk across the canvas, are pictured disappearing into this dark mist, calling back to the erasure of their history. This painting is a great example of how powerful WalkingStick’s work is. It draws on our emotions and knowledge of history, making us sympathize with the figures. WalkingStick sought to tell the truth about the Trail of Tears through this painting. While she does this quite easily through visual representation, WalkingStick adds a psychological depth to this piece which resonates with viewers even more. 

Ash-Milby, Kathleen, and Bradley Pecore. “Kay Walkingstick: Passion and Place.” NMAI Magazine. Smithsonian Institution , 2015. ]]> 2022-04-04 01:08:25 UTC https://padlet.com/otinkha/kaywalkingstick/wish/2127700501 New Mexico Desert, 2011. Oil on wood panel, 40" x 80" x 2". National Museum of the American Indian. otinkha https://padlet.com/otinkha/kaywalkingstick/wish/2127704034 New Mexico Desert, 2011, is a more recent work of WalkingStick’s. The daylit glow which WalkingStick depicts here creates a sort of calming effect. WalkingStick features a traditional Navajo design on the right side panel. This design represents the history of this place visually, since there is no evidence of history here otherwise. WalkingStick is always thinking of the land and its people, using this technique to make sure we do not forget the history of these places, which has often been hidden from us. In featuring this Navajo design, New Mexico Desert also shows off the intersectionality which WalkingStick’s art embodies. WalkingStick has pulled imagery from several different cultures throughout her career, this painting being just one example. New Mexico Desert in particular is a crowd pleaser. It is more representational than most of Walkingstick’s landscapes and is rooted in realism. The nature of realism allows for people to understand it more easily, making his painting a great one to get people interested in WalkingStick’s work.

Ash-Milby, Kathleen, and Bradley Pecore. “Kay Walkingstick: Passion and Place.” NMAI Magazine. Smithsonian Institution , 2015. ]]> 2022-04-04 01:11:18 UTC https://padlet.com/otinkha/kaywalkingstick/wish/2127704034 Section Two: The Landscape otinkha https://padlet.com/otinkha/kaywalkingstick/wish/2127734441 2022-04-04 01:35:18 UTC https://padlet.com/otinkha/kaywalkingstick/wish/2127734441 Section One: The Body otinkha https://padlet.com/otinkha/kaywalkingstick/wish/2127740934 2022-04-04 01:40:30 UTC https://padlet.com/otinkha/kaywalkingstick/wish/2127740934 Gioioso I - Fieta, 2000/2020, oil/panel with gold leaf, 32" x 64". otinkha https://padlet.com/otinkha/kaywalkingstick/wish/2127872915 In this work, WalkingStick returns to the silhouettes of her early career. She reflects on who she was in the past, contrasting this with who she is now by featuring both of the styles she has been known for. At this point in her career, WalkingStick reflected on her use, or lack thereof, of the figure in her work. She came to the realization that she had used the landscape in place of the figure and even her own body in the decades that her work lacked them. The land had become a metaphor for herself in these years. The silhouettes on the right show even further development from the figure works WalkingStick created in her early career. This panel features two figures; one male and one female. What's different here is the pose. These figures are not standing motionless; they are dancing. While previously all of WalkingStick's figures have been static, these figures appear to be in motion, and even interacting. This work features a younger WalkingStick's style painted through the lens of an older WalkingStick. She reflects on how she felt in the past, contrasting this with imagery she would use now. 

Archuleta, Margaret. “Blame the Mountains III.” Works on Canvas & Wood, 2003.]]> 2022-04-04 03:26:10 UTC https://padlet.com/otinkha/kaywalkingstick/wish/2127872915 Where Are the Generations?, 1991. Copper, acrylic, wax, and oil on canvas, 28" x 50 1/2". otinkha https://padlet.com/otinkha/kaywalkingstick/wish/2143207725 This painting covers a topic which is essential to understanding WalkingStick's body of work. Where are the Generations? was painted in response to the celebration of the Columbian Quincentenary. WalkingStick described it as being about the mass genocide of Native American people. On the face of the painting she states that the population of native people has dwindled from twenty million to just two million. She speaks about how many missing generations of Native Americans there must be, drawing a visual comparison to a barren landscape as she does so. While the left panel keys us into the context of the piece, the right side symbolizes the world without Native American culture; lifeless and dull. WalkingStick expresses the injustices which the native Americans have been dealt through her technique on the left. She has scraped away at the paint with a knife and a razor, creating a rough and damaged surface. In doing this, she draws a parallel to the loss which the Native American culture has experienced.

Broder, Patricia Janis. “Kay WalkingStick.” Essay. In Earth Songs, Moon Dreams: Paintings by American Indian Women, 268–74. New York, NY: St. Martin's Press, 1999. ]]> 2022-04-14 01:18:10 UTC https://padlet.com/otinkha/kaywalkingstick/wish/2143207725 Ourselves, Our Land, 1992. Acrylic, wax, and oil on canvas, 22" x 44". otinkha https://padlet.com/otinkha/kaywalkingstick/wish/2143221086 Ourselves, Our Land is another painting WalkingStick made in response to the Columbian Quincentenary. It uses similar techniques to Where are the Generations?, however WalkingStick covers a different topic in this piece. Ourselves is about the ownership of Native American land. It depicts a desolate Western mountain range void of any life. This visual combined with the phrase "Ourselves, our land" written in Cherokee syllabary clues the viewer into the fact that this is stolen land. It calls into question who should really own this land. By painting this landscape in such a lifeless state, WalkingStick references the symbiotic relationship native people have with the land. Native Americans have been forced out of their land and left to dwindle in numbers, meanwhile the landscape suffers from the loss of this population. WalkingStick directly responds to the celebration of Columbus's invasion by expressing her own spiritual relationship with the land as well as the past relationships of native American people.

Broder, Patricia Janis. “Kay WalkingStick.” Essay. In Earth Songs, Moon Dreams: Paintings by American Indian Women, 268–74. New York, NY: St. Martin's Press, 1999. ]]> 2022-04-14 01:29:08 UTC https://padlet.com/otinkha/kaywalkingstick/wish/2143221086 Me and My Neon Box, 1971. Acrylic on canvas, 54" x 60". Newark Museum of Art. otinkha https://padlet.com/otinkha/kaywalkingstick/wish/2143245320 Inspired by Walkingstick's own silhouette in the sand, Me and My Neon Box does not escape the title of this exhibition, despite its looks. This work was done early in Walkingstick's career. It was inspired by the feminist movement at the time as well as Walkingstick's interest in gender and sexuality. She explores her own figure in this piece by using her silhouette to create it. This work features three figures, only one of which has a head pictured. This figure seems to be looking straight at us, challenging us to disagree with this work. The combination of this stare with these active, almost stomping poses, creates a sense of power and strength. WalkingStick strategically crops and positions these figures so that she is in control of what we are seeing. The woman has power over her own body here. The only interior details present are the outline of a breast and a dark shape over the pelvic area of one figure. Unlike some of the art coming out of the sexual revolution of the 1960’s, WalkingStick’s features the female body without objectifiying it. WalkingStick sought to embrace the woman's body in this work, advocating for its acceptance in society. 

Shypula, Gabriella. “Kay WalkingStick, Me and My Neon Box.” Khan Academy. Khan Academy. Accessed April 10, 2022.]]> 2022-04-14 01:48:17 UTC https://padlet.com/otinkha/kaywalkingstick/wish/2143245320 Two Women II, 1973. Acrylic on canvas, 42 3/8" x 44 1/8". otinkha https://padlet.com/otinkha/kaywalkingstick/wish/2143258883 Two Women II is another one of WalkingStick's early works. Also produced during the sexual revolution of the 1960's, this work is very upfront when it comes to sexuality. WalkingStick depicts female genitalia here in an attempt to embrace and normalize women's sexuality. While still in this colorful, silhouetted style, this painting shows a development in subject matter in the year since Me and My Neon Box was painted. While Neon Box takes a more serious stand, Two Women takes a more experimental, playful approach. The colors featured in the previous are more toned down. WalkingStick makes the audience look more closely at the posing and positioning of the figures. She is getting us to digest the meaning here. Two Women features more sensual posing. We can clearly see some of the anatomy of the vagina here, unlike in Neon Box. The colors used in this piece are also brighter. This in combination with the mirrored posing gives it a more playful feeling. This work, upon being compared with the previous, shows just how fast WalkingStick's artistic interests grew, even in just a year. This will become even more apparent as she radically shifts her style later in her career. 


Ho, Melissa. “Kay WalkingStick and the Indigenous Presence in American Landscape Painting.” Smithsonian American Art Museum. Smithsonian Institution, November 10, 2021.


]]> 2022-04-14 02:00:00 UTC https://padlet.com/otinkha/kaywalkingstick/wish/2143258883 Section Three: The Body and The Landscape otinkha https://padlet.com/otinkha/kaywalkingstick/wish/2153944578 2022-04-22 17:52:25 UTC https://padlet.com/otinkha/kaywalkingstick/wish/2153944578 Blame The Mountains III, 1998. Oil/wood, oil, brass/leaf canvas, 32" x 64". Collection of the Allentown Art Museum, Allentown, PA otinkha https://padlet.com/otinkha/kaywalkingstick/wish/2154931232 WalkingStick unites the body and the landscape in Blame the Mountains III. Depicted on one side of this diptych is a mountain range, while an outline of a female figure contrasts it on the other side. The mountains stand tall, almost looming over the viewer, meanwhile the woman's figure seems to be in a vulnerable pose. WalkingStick has spoken about uniting two distinct perceptions of the world; one "being visual and immediate" where the other is "spiritual and long-term." She seeks to unite these two in many of her diptychs, however it is very apparent in this one. Spirituality encompasses WalkingStick's landscape works. She calls back to her native heritage by featuring this. The left side of this diptych is representative of this. In contrast, the right side of this work features the immediate perception. The pose indicates distress of some kind; a feeling the viewer reacts to immediately. This work possesses the unity which WalkingStick seeks to depict. In doing this, she also manages to show the viewer a certain amount of self-discovery.

Archuleta, Margaret. “Blame the Mountains III.” Works on Canvas & Wood, 2003.

WalkingStick, Kay. “Native American Art in the Postmodern Era.” Art Journal 51, no. 3 (1992): 15–17. 


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