Inside the Art of Rorex Bridges Studio: Cherokee Women & Culture | iCanvas
To celebrate Native American Heritage Month, we’re honored to share a guest blog written by Cherokee artist Jeanne Walker, known as Rorex Bridges Studio. In her own words, she reflects on her upbringing in Eastern Oklahoma, her connection to Cherokee culture, and the artistic journey that led her to Bacone College’s renowned Indian Art program. She also highlights six meaningful art prints from her collection, sharing the stories and inspiration behind each piece.
Keep on reading to dive into her world of culture, dreams, and the strength of art.
Cherokee Upbringings
I was raised on a farm/ranch in Eastern Oklahoma. My parents were both part Cherokee and were born in 1908 and 1910. I was their mid-life surprise after five children in 1951.
I was already an aunt before I was born. We raised crops with mules and, later, a small tractor. We milked cows by hand. We didn’t have running water until I was 16. We gathered most crops by hand and had large gardens and a truck patch. We stayed busy year round, but it was a wonderful upbringing!
I learned so much about Nature and Life, and keeping things simple. As a young girl who drew on every piece of paper available, I didn’t realize that my upbringing was inspiring my future.
Pursuing Art Dreams
At 28, married with two young sons and supportive parents and friends, I pursued my dream. A scholarship to Bacone College, known for its Indian Art program, was my beginning.
When you study Indian Art, you are also studying Indian History and Culture. I had thought of myself as just a farm girl with Cherokee blood, but I realized how much Indian culture was blended into my upbringing. My parents’ quiet strength, hard work, and their generosity; no one left our home hungry, I then understood what was the Indian way.
The Importance of Native Women in Art
Up to that time, Indian Art had very rarely honored the lives of Native women in history. Western Art usually portrayed Native women only as romanticized. I had always wanted to portray women as they are. Placing women in historical settings and imagining their lives was a perfect fit for me to express my ideas. I could imagine the feelings and empathize how hard women worked to survive; how events caused them to grieve but also made them strong, and how precious their children were to them.
I realized the strength of art – that you could express the deepest of feelings and thoughts through simple design. I knew that I didn’t just want to paint or draw a pretty picture; I wanted to express my ideas and my thoughts through art. At Bacone, I found Oklahoma Flat Style painting – solid colors with no shading and only fine outlines to define. I loved its simplicity. To portray a realistic flat style painting, you must know some anatomy to know how to shape the clothing. It was a great way to start painting. I soon developed my own style, combining flat style with 3D, and mixing my own recognizable colors – muted but strong.
My paintings became stronger and began winning awards in Native American Art Competitions. My portrayal of pregnant women and women working were appreciated. Many of my later paintings show only the backs of women but it is surprising how much feeling can also be in those paintings.
The Art of Rorex Bridges Studio: Piece by Piece
Each of these pieces carries a moment, memory, or emotion drawn from Jeanne Walker’s lived experience and Cherokee heritage. In her own words, she shares the inspiration behind six meaningful artworks, revealing the histories, quiet strengths, and everyday rhythms of Native women that continue to guide her creative voice.
Summer Of Decision
I saw a pose like this and imagined a young Cherokee woman taking a break from picking blackberries, finding a fallen tree in the sunshine, and reflecting on decisions she faces. This is one of my first acrylic paintings in what I call stylized reality; a combination of Oklahoma Flat Style with 3D shading.
The tree is one flat color. Her dress is a flat color with outlines and dot designs, plus shading for dimension. Her skin is about five color mixes plus line work.
An elderly man at an art show was standing in front of this painting for a long time. I asked if I could help him. He said, “I’m just waiting for a breeze.” I just smiled.
Harvest Moon
At harvest time, the corn is ripe and ready to pick. This young woman is also ready to meet and love her newborn child. I love painting Cherokee baskets and pregnant women. The hand placement, so simple and calm, with universal feeling. The Cherokee rivercane storage basket adds more history. Her clothing and the basket are flat style with line work and shading; in front of a flat background and moon.
Moon Breeze
I began this painting by having an idea of the size I wanted and nothing more. I started washing colors over the watercolor board. After they blended, I saw an area for a great moon. A circle template and deep blue created the sky and the remaining wash is the ground.
I love stacking figures to portray a trail. The blankets and clothing are flat style with linework, dots and lines for designs and shading. Each figure has to have shading at the bottom edge to “sit her down”.
Woodlands Moon
This painting was fun to figure out. I wet a 30 x 40 wrapped canvas and quickly washed in about 6 colors, one at a time, letting them bleed together. I picked out an area for a large moon, decided on two women, where the trees would be and then started painting.
The solid green for the sky needed to be toned down, so I sponge painted 2 colors on it. The trees needed to be a light color, except for in front of the moon. The clothing started with flat colors but I added designs and colors very loosely. I added a few spots of color in the ground and pulled through it with a brush for grass. I am pleased with the softness of the colors and the feeling of Woodlands Moon.
Corn Shelling
Native Americans are not often portrayed as farmers, but many were. She is hand-shelling cured field corn. Sitting on a rock at the edge of her cornfield with bare feet because of the warm Indian Summer day. She’s working to get enough to make a mess of hominy.
I’ve shelled a lot of corn myself, for hominy. The dark purple sun is just because I like the corn color in front of it. No dark meanings. My work often gets compared to RC Gorman, I guess because of our women’s bare feet.
Evening Fields
A summer night, at the quiet edge of a cornfield, a young woman is resting after a long day. Leaning back, hands on her lap and feet crossed at the ankles, I love this pose. It’s a woman’s pose. Acrylic on canvas, solid blue sky plus sponge painting, flat purple moon, flat green cornstalks, flat style shirt and skirt, with linework and designs, and subtle shading. I enjoyed creating this painting.
As Rorex Bridges Studio, Jeanne Walker uses her art to honor Cherokee women, cultural traditions, and intergenerational strength. Her work stands as a meaningful contribution to Native American Heritage Month, and we invite you to continue exploring her collection on iCanvas.
To dive even deeper into culture and traditions, take a look at all art by Native American & Indigenous Artists.