ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: BRENDA KINGERY
Brenda Kingery was raised in Oklahoma and is of Chickasaw and Anglo descent. Kingery is a contemporary artist and refers to her experiences while living or working in Okinawa, Japan, Uganda, Africa, or Powwows in Oklahoma. Her travels led her to an M.A. in Fine Art and Art History from the University of Oklahoma, with postgraduate studies in Fine Art, at Ryukyuu Daigaku University Okinawa, Japan; graduate studies in Chinese language, at Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, and master’s Thesis on Folk Art of Ryukyus, University of Oklahoma. Kingery returned to Okinawa to teach painting, drawing, and folk art cultures for the University of Maryland Far East Division. She later taught Art History for the San Antonio College before a career as a full-time artist.
Brenda’s paintings have been described as Narrative symbolism, beginning with thin acrylic washes. The next stage in the process may include, as many as 25 thin layers and hand-painted lines. The lines are almost like tapestries that tell her story visually. The paintings begin abstractly and move as a dance, becoming a visual record of cultures. Art becomes the embodiment of culture, recording visually a cultural identity as seen through her Mahota Textiles Artist Collection Blanket titled, Chickasaw Rhoda.
“A lot of my paintings are about remnants – pieces – because our culture was so taken apart and it affected me that our history and culture was lost to us in so many ways. We are recovering it now and we’re putting the pieces back together, whether it is me learning about the culture or historians collecting stories from elders.”
CHICKASAW RHODA
Direct descendent to artist Brenda Kingery, Rhoda was a Chickasaw woman born in 1818 and one of many who traveled to Indian Territory during removal.
The hashi’ (sky) is okchamali (blue). The sun was a reminder of light, Aba’ Bínni’li’ (Creator), and direction. Here, the sun wears a beaded collar with beads of light. Rhoda’s dress has ribbons and a hand-woven belt. She is balanced on a narrow patch beside the water, The Mississippi. The land is losayyi (brown) carrying dots representing memories of our homeland. The edge balances the journey and reminds us of four directions.