Description
Artist formulated bronze "clay," sculpted directly and fired in reduction. The artist hand-formed large bronze connecting rings, with the remainder being commercial bronze chain. The central figure is a high-relief female form with flowing hair, her body composed of corn kernels and husks, surrounded by distant impressions of corn plants in the background. Inspired by Cherokee Selu (Corn) stories, this piece represents the origin of the corn plant, emerging from the presence of a magical woman.
Materials
Bronze with suede backing.
Dimensions
3.5" x 5" x 1"
Karen D. Sixkiller
Cherokee Nation
About the Artist
Karen Sixkiller is a contemporary sculptor and Washington state native residing on the Olympic Peninsula. Sixkiller creates sculptures using metal, ceramic, glass beads, leather, suede and fabric.
As a Cherokee Nation citizen, much of her work is informed by Cherokee cultural stories. Her graduate studies in social psychology taught her the discipline of scientific research, which she applies to her artistic practice. Her formal education in public health and elementary education brought her to New Mexico, where she worked for the Indian Health Service and at a tribally owned residential school. These experiences and influences have coalesced in her passion for expressing new perspectives through art. She has permanent public art installations featuring a realistic “Grandma Spider” on the Cultural Pathway in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, and Olympia, Washington. She also has several temporary installations featuring the Cherokee spider or a beetle in Olympia, Washington, and Lake Oswego, Oregon. She has been awarded blue ribbons for her sculptural work at SWAIA's “Santa Fe Indian Market” and the Red Cloud Art Show. Her work has been featured at multiple Indigenous and non-Indigenous art shows.
