Virtual Gallery
Virtual Gallery
Cedar Kindy
I knew I was a lesbian since kindergarten. I drew constantly as a child. It was a way of coping with my "unnatural" feelings.
To survive as a lesbian artist I became a craftswomyn, and attended Womyn’s Music Festivals in which Lesbian Culture thrived. For over 40 years I sold tye-dyed and silkscreened clothing with my womyn-identified images. Womyn wore my art.
Now I have returned to painting. I want to paint who we are as Lesbians. I’m not focused on painting the injustice of the world or the pain body of patriarchal oppression. I want to paint the light, the hope and the wonder of my “one precious life”. The life in which I had the good fortune to be born a lesbian.
Artist Statement about the Piece (s) Submitted
Title/Medium: Butterflies in Flight [Watercolor/Gouache]
"This painting was created from a photo I took at the opening ceremony of a womyn's festival. Womyn's festivals emerged as a central part of Lesbian Culture in the 70's. Music, Art, Dance and Theatre were the umbrella under which lesbians gathered to form a radical movement both political and personal. There we formed a tribe of like minded womyn and became allies, mentors, friends, and lovers. The community that developed continues today in Gulfport and many other places across the globe.
The image of this womyn, who was a festival worker and performer, has haunted me for years. It seems to embody my soul's desire for meaning and belonging. This young womyn looks toward the butterflies taking flight from her tattoo. Butterflies are symbols of the soul in Greek mythology. It is as if she is looking into the future of her soul's journey toward empowerment: the growth and transformation into her authentic self. It is the same growth which transforms the leafing branch she holds into an ancient forest."
Title/Medium: Bison Medicine [Oil painting]
"The heterosexist health system does not always encompass the health needs of the LGBTQ+ community. In the past, womyn’s health issues were overlooked. Unsafe and unnecessary operations were performed on womyn. The Aids death toll of the 80’s is a tragic reminder of the failure of the patriarchal health system. Womyn began to reclaim alternative healing practices to include medicinal herbs, spirituality and the energetics of touch.
Many years ago I was diagnosed with asthma, which had become quite debilitating. During a routine massage by a womyn who had shamanic insights, I had a soul vision in which bison appeared. In my heart and soul I believed that bison medicine would heal me. It did and my lungs were quickly restored.
This painting is homage and a prayer to the bison that gave me back my breath. It is a talisman as well that protects me in this pandemic era."
Cedar Kindy is an artist skilled in watercolor, gouache, and oils, whose paintings shimmer with light and color. She received an Associate Degree in Fine Art from The American Academy of Art in Chicago, where she studied watercolor under Irving Shapiro, and later with Nita Engle. For over 40 years, she has traveled to and exhibited at outdoor festivals across the U.S., honing her skills by painting the coasts, deserts, mountains, rivers, farms and towns. While traveling in Mexico for over 15 years, she painted the people and spirit of the market places. Her studio is in Gulfport Florida. She teaches watercolor classes in Gulfport Florida, Michigan and online.