Yale University Art Gallery acquires work by Kay WalkingStick

Kay WalkingStick's 1978 work on paper, Black on Black 78A (with red) has been acquired by Yale University Art Gallery through the Janet and Simeon Braguin Fund.

 

In a dedicated series of charcoal works on paper WalkingStick achieved a dense black color field, one with a smooth finish, by applying great pressure on semi circles and lines of pigment. Here she uses a single color of red to interplay with the black. Reducing the palette to an exploration of the expressive qualities of black, WalkingStick created a focus on form which tested the limits of the grid. Partially concealed but remaining present underneath the surface, WalkingStick noted 'I want the grid to be sensed.' By further isolating the arc WalkingStick had singled out an element which would become a reoccurring motif for the decade ahead.