Kay WalkingStick

Peonies

Peonies is one of three works from a series by Kay WalkingStick created during her early career. The paintings, titled after various flowers, celebrate the feminine body through abstracted figuration.

Floral pastels complement the central figure in Peonies, whose body faces the viewer and is defined by the soft curves of her legs and breasts. A bouquet bursts from her lap in a visual tension that combines color field and hardline aesthetics.

About works from this period, the artist states: “There is joyousness in their nakedness, rather than nudity. They are enjoying their bodies. A lot of that early work was really about feminism and my own recognition of my own sexuality.”