About the Artist  

Kay WalkingStick (born 1935) is a painter and citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. The land and what it means to Native people have been the focus of her work for decades. In the 1980s, she began creating diptychs by pairing two canvases together to connect a realistic and an abstract depiction of a single subject. In her recent work, expansive landscapes sprawl across two canvases. She visits these places, photographing and sketching them to inform her final paintings.

About the Artwork  

The vast Grand Canyon appears to stretch wide and deep across two canvases. Notice how the artist emphasizes its colors of oranges, lavenders, and olive greens. Overlayed across the lower right corner is a geometric design related to the Moapa Band of Southern Paiute Indians. Their homelands are located along the northern edge of the canyon.  

This work is part of a series of landscapes created by Kay WalkingStick. In each painting, she applies a motif related to a tribe or nation that calls the area home. By including the pattern, she reminds us that Native Americans are connected to their homelands. As the title North Rim Temple suggests, the Grand Canyon holds spiritual significance to the Moapa band and other Indigenous communities.   

Slow Looking  

You can look at a work of art in many ways. Sometimes you can focus and see more by exploring just one part of a painting at a time.  

• Direct your focus to the bottom third of this painting. Carefully look at just that part. Take your time. What do you notice first? What else do you see? Describe the colors, textures, and patterns.
• Now, lift your focus to the middle section and look again. What new things do you see?  
• Take a look at the top third. Again, describe what you see.
• Step back and observe the whole painting. What else do you notice?
• This rectangular painting is made of two square canvases. How are the two sides similar? How are they different?
• How does this painting make you feel?

Imagine

WalkingStick likes to experience a place with all her senses before she paints a landscape.  

• Continue to explore this painting using your imagination and senses. Start by slowing down your body and mind. Take a few deep breaths. Let your face relax. Try taking in the entire scene without focusing on its details.
• Imagine looking out over this vast canyon. How does your body feel? How does the air around you feel? Breathe in and listen. What do you smell? What sounds do you hear? Reach down and touch the ground. What do you feel? Which words describe your emotions right now?

Create a Landscape

Think about a place in nature that is meaningful to you. What makes it special? Consider the colors, shapes, and textures of that landscape. What sounds and smells might you encounter?

Create a drawing of your special landscape.

Like WalkingStick, add a design or pattern to your drawing that represents your identity or community, such as a soccer ball for your sports team.