Wallowa Water Hole Series Oil Pastel [SOLD]

Born January 15, 1940 in St. Ignatius, a small town on the Flathead Reservation on the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Indian Reservation, Montana, Jaune Quick–to–See Smith is an internationally renowned painter, printmaker and artist.  Her first name comes from the French word for "yellow" (jaune), from her French-Cree ancestry. Her middle name "Quick-To-See" was given by her Shoshone grandmother as a sign of her ability to grasp things readily.  She earned a BA in Art Education from Framingham State College, Massachusetts, and an MA in Art from the University of New Mexico.  Smith has been awarded honorary doctorates from Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Pennsylvania Academy of the Arts, Massachusetts College of Art and the University of New Mexico.

This untitled oil pastel is part of her Wallowa Water Hole series, which was completed in 1979.   The series was named after a valley in Oregon that was home to Nez Perce Chief Joseph and his people.  Its untitled oil pastels were, according to Smith, inspired by the works of Swiss painter Paul Klee. 

Here, Smith uses her colorful oil pastels to create a beautifully abstract love letter to the land.  The bold pinks, purples and oranges, which are used quite sparingly, contrast beautifully with the gray, silver, and black framing lines.  Colorful lines and animal tracks lead to and from a spot of pink in the lower left corner, which may represent the titular water hole.

The pastel was executed on handmade paper.  It is framed with the entire sheet of paper visible, without use of matboard to conceal the edges.  It is signed in the lower left corner. 

Condition: very good condition with a few barely visible discolorations

Provenance: from a collection in California

Recommended Reading: Jaune Quick-to-See Smith: An American Modernist by Carolyn Kastner