Emmi Whitehorse, Kin'-Na'-Zin #4

"My work deals with recreating my mind's memory of my childhood surroundings. My images or forms are improvised out of feelings for and memories of the landscape. these images are meant to be viewed through a non-confining atmospheric window. Each sphere holds within itself images that are intimately tied to nature and personal emotions. Color and rice paper, as well as the gestural marks, are important insofar as they create a certain kind of illusionistic space and movement. The rice papers used are meant to interpret or imply the likeness of the dried grass and leaves. The colors I use are intentionally contrasting, but must always relate to nature and retain the moods of the land. Also, color is the counterbalance of the attached rice paper. In essence, the work as a whole relates my understanding of the landscape and emotional ties to my homeland. It is a sharing of tactile information with the viewer."
Confluences of Tradition (exhibition catalogue), artist statement, (1981: p.30).