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painting

Emmi Whitehorse

Canyon Lake III

2001

Oil pastel on paper, mounted on canvas, unframed

51 in x 78 1/2 in x 2 in (129.5 cm x 199.3 cm x 5 cm)

Museum purchase

2006.65.1

Autry Museum of the American West

Art and Artifacts

Painting by Emmi Whitehorse, Canyon Lake III, 2001. Influenced by the Navajo emphasis on harmony with nature, Whitehorse explores her native landscape through abstract marks that represent symbols, plants, and events to create a mental experience of land. This emphasis on the relationship between the artist and the land speaks to the intimate familiarity that many Native peoples have felt about their environment. As Whitehorse observed: My paintings tell the story of knowing land over time—of being completely, micro-cosmically within a place . . . they are purposefully meditative and meant to be seen slowly. Their intricate language of symbols refers to specific plants, people, and experiences.

Art of the West (exhibition)

landscapes

Art of the West selected works from the Autry Museum / edited by Amy Scott ; foreword by Stephen Aron ; afterword by Brian W. Dippie. page xi