Photography by Edward C. Robison III.
Night Sailing in the Pleiades
Created in 1980, Night Sailing in the Pleiades exemplifies Kay WalkingStick’s shift towards abstraction that started in the mid-1970s. In this work, two wound-like slashes and a line along the left side reveal the blood-red undersurface of the black canvas. WalkingStick creates depth and weight by pushing, pressing, scraping, and slicing into caked-on layers of wax-paint material. The result is a painting that is both rich in surface texture and brimming with emotion.
ArtistKay WalkingStick, Cherokee, born 1935
Date1980
MediumAcrylic, saponified wax, modeling paste, and glitter over ink on canvas
Dimensions48 3/8 x 48 5/8 x 4 1/8 in. (122.9 x 123.5 x 10.5 cm)
Signedverso, u.l.: K WalkingStick
Inscription(s)verso, c.: #56 / "Night Sailing in / the Pleiades"
verso, u.r.: TOP / 1-80
Credit LineCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2022.22
ClassificationPainting
ProvenanceArtist; to (Hales Gallery, New York, NY); purchased by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR, 2022
On ViewNo
This artwork's face covers about 323× the area of a tennis ball.Drawn to the same scale.