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“Art
may mourn when these people are swept from their Earth…Artists of future
ages may look in vain for another race so picturesque in their costumes,
their weapons, their colors, their manly games and their chase…” George
Catlin
These
words from the journal of artist George Catlin hang prominently in my
studio as a source of inspiration and perspective.
Rather than focus on the past, however, I have chosen
to depict Native Americans as they live and dress today. It is crucial
to me that I do not misrepresent our Indian culture. Too often,
America’s native peoples have been forgotten, ignored, and taken for
granted. Twenty years from now I will look back and realize I was able
to see something very special. I am trying to record a point in time and
to convey ideas, dress, behavior, etc. that is forever changing and
evolving.
I hope my work will reinforce the public’s
understanding of American Indians as one of our ethnographic groups.
It’s unusual to find native peoples still carrying on traditions that
are hundreds of years old in the midst of one of the most
technologically advanced countries in the world. I don’t know very many
places where you would have that kind of dichotomy. It is my desire that
more people should know about the Indian people and appreciate their
life and culture.
Looking at artists who are important in history, one
finds they all had something in common. They observed what they depicted
first hand and painted honestly about the subjects they knew of their
own time. I hope when people look at my work, they will see real people
living in a real time frame.
Thanks,
Steve Forbis
Stephen Douglas Forbis
Born: August 5, 1950- Austin, Texas
Formal education at the University of Texas at Austin with a B.A.(1972)
in Anthropology and an M.A. also in Anthropology.
Primary original media are Prismacolor pencils on paper. Subject matter
is almost exclusively contemporary American Indians, particularly from
New Mexico and Arizona.
Sales of art began in 1969 through several galleries and shows:
Museum and Major Corporate Permanent Collections:
McAllen International Museum (McAllen, TX)
Roswell Museum and Art Center (Roswell, NM)
The Museum of Printing History (Houston, TX)
Champion International Corp. (Stamford, CT)
Northern Illinois University Museum (DeKalb, IL)
Museum of Fine Art- Santa Fe (Santa Fe, NM)
Illinois Benedictine College- Teaching Art Collection (IL)
Southwest Texas State University- Southwestern Writer’s Coll. (San
Marcus, TX)
Vista Chemical Company- Austin (Austin, TX)
Heidelberg USA, Inc. (Rego Park, NY)
Southwest Studies Museum (Durango, CO)
Thomas Gilcrease Museum (Tulsa, OK)
Museum Shows:
The Museum of Printing History- One Man Show- 1983 (Houston, TX)
The Panhandle- Plains Historical Museum- 1984 (Canyon, TX)
The Art Museum of the American West- 1986 & 1987 (Houston, TX)
Arkansas State University Museum- 1989 (Jonesboro, AR)
Colorado Springs Fine Art Center- 1995 (Colorado Springs, CO)
Tucson Museum of Art- 1995 (Tucson, AZ)
National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center- 1996 (Okla.
City, OK)
Gene Autry Museum of Western Heritage- 1996 (Los Angeles, CA)
Albuquerque Museum of Art- 1996 (Albuquerque, NM)
Thomas Gilcrease Museum- 1995 thru 2002 (Tulsa, OK)
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