"Okhina - Ohoyo - Yakni, River - Woman - Heart of the Earth"

My husband, William F. Matthews, is with me in this photo. Thank you for your patience and support while I worked on these paintings . The second painting is for the Choctaw Nation Casino Skytower lobby in Durant.

Paintings for Choctaw Nation

Perhaps it is easy to see that the river shape is also a woman's shape in this painting. The water movement is dynamic and flows around a bold path created by many textures and layers of color that emulate the actions of nature.

One of the most important ideas I've learned from my Indigenous sisters here in Oklahoma is that there is no separation between us and the land, rivers, plants, or animals. We are the same and intertwined. The ideas I've explored in my paintings for so many years have added resonance as I engage more deeply with our native cultures.

Over the last few years, I've started constructing painting titles by exploring Choctaw before considering English words. I love finding Choctaw words that convey nuanced meanings.