In the late 1980’s, artist Robert Penn (Omaha Nation) pulled Gary Bigbear (HoChunk Nation) out of a meat-packing plant and encouraged him to attend the Bachelor of Fine Arts program at the University of South Dakota. His mentor and inspiration became Robert Penn who had been a student of Oscar Howe (Yankton Sioux Nation). Since accepting his calling, Gary has never stopped making art. For the past twenty years, Gary Bigbear has lived in the forest near Olympia, WA and has never been more driven to produce art.

Inspired by natural spaces surviving urban sprawl, and connecting his observations to the spiritual, Gary combines his wide knowledge of art history and color theory with his personal journey to mark-making. His abstractions are sometimes bold and wild, and sometimes they are highly controlled displays of advanced understandings of color relationships. All of Gary’s work today stemmed from an early passion for realism, but while he’s capable of tight observational drawing and painting, he enjoys the challenge of marrying his internal vision with his external vision. Altogether, Gary Bigbear has produced an extensive collection of work that is unique and celebrates his story in this post-modern world.

When Gary isn’t painting, you can find him instructing at the Native Pathways Program at The Evergreen State College or hanging out with his 4 cats, one wife, a bunch of deer and mosquitoes.

[email protected]
Olympia, WA