Kay WalkingStick: An American Artist

Kay WalkingStick is a renowned Cherokee artist with a 45-year career that transformed American art. In 1995, she became the first Native American included in H. R. Janson's essential art history survey text. This book celebrates her accomplished artistic journey through essays by leading scholars. It traces her evolution from early explorations of color and the human form to her breakthrough focus on abstraction and Native identity. By the mid-1980s, she developed her signature diptych format—two-panel works pairing realistic and abstract landscapes. Her work explores profound themes including motherhood, spirituality, and personal resilience. Her art grew more powerful and intense after significant personal challenges, ultimately creating transcendent pieces that merge her diverse artistic interests. Hardcover | 240 pages.