Untitled (Quiet Strength VI)

To make this work of art, Dyani White Hawk painted thousands of short vertical lines in subtle whites, blues, and pinks that recall historical quillwork by Native artists. Quillwork involves softening and dying stiff porcupine quills and affixing them onto birchbark or hide in decorative patterns. On the Plains, the art of quillwork was primarily done by women and carries sacred significance. White Hawk brought this cultural understanding to her meticulously worked painting, giving each line the attention that quill artists gave to their quilling. The vertical lines overlay a barely-visible background of silver and gold in a subtle diamond pattern that references various histories of geometric abstraction.