All contents of this web site copyrighted by the artist.
Artist's Resume & Bio
Gene Stewart
Resume:.
Professional Experience:Ten years as Art Director of.KOCO-TV.in Oklahoma
City.
Thirty-eight years teaching art classes. Many art.demonstrations
and lectures.
Served as an advisor to.the Oklahoma Arts and Humanities Council.
Art Gallery.owner and
operator.
Artshow
judge.
Workshop
instructor.
Thirty-nine years as a fine artist specializing in western and
wildlife painting and sculpting.
Other subjects, including portrait commissions, landscapes, still
lifes, and floral paintings are done on occasion.
Medium:
Oils on linen canvas, brushed aluminum, or masonite.
Watercolor, both transparent and opaque. Pastels and charcoal.
Pen and pencil. Sculpture
is done in petroleum wax or plasteline clay and cast in bronze.
Exhibits:
First artist to exhibit in the office of the Governor of Oklahoma.
Western Artists of Oklahoma Show, Meinz, Germany, and Oklahoma
City. George Phippen Memorial, Prescott, Arizona. Stamford Art
Foundation, Stamford, Texas. Western Heritage Annual, Littleton,
Colorado. Alamo Kiwanis Show, San Antonio, Texas. National Wildlife
Art Collectors Society, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Wildlife Festival,
Tulsa, Oklahoma. Oklahoma State Diamond Jubilee, Oklahoma City.
Oklahoma City Spring Art Festivals. Oklahoma City Sculpture Society
Shows. Many different art galleries around the country including
the Taos Gallery, the Schriver Gallery, the Jameison Gallery,
the Wickenburg Gallery, the Country Store Gallery, and the Wildlife
Gallery. Many one-man shows.
Publication:
Featured in American Artists of Renown 1981 editon. Paintings
on the covers and inside national magazines such as Western Horseman,
Quarter Horse Journal, American Paint Horse Journal, Frontier
Times, Gold, True West, Old West, and inside an Oklahoma History
text book.
Prints published by Armco Steel Corporation, First National Bank
of Waco, Texas, Modares Art Publishing Company, and Gene Stewart
Studios.
Did the painting for the 1983 Reno Rodeo Poster.
Western designs for T-shirts for Teletrend.
Commissioned by The Hamilton Collection to do four paintings for
their "Warriors of the Plains" series of tankards.
Awards:
Oils... Best of Show, People's Choice, and blue and red ribbons.
Watercolors and Graphics... blue and red ribbons.
Sculpture... Best in Category, blue and red ribbons.
Biography:
Gene Stewart's art career may be said to have begun in his senior
year in high school. He was asked to paint XIT Rodeo scenes on
store windows in Dalhart, Texas to advertise the event. Then he
learned that paintings on the cover of Post magazine paid about
$1,000 to the artist. The idea of making a living working at something
he really enjoyed appealed to him, so he decided to major in art
in college instead of engineering.
After graduation from the University of Texas in 1952 with a BFA in art, he went into the Air Force to fulfill his ROTC commission agreement. Not satisfied to serve the two years sitting behind a desk, he decided to apply for flight training. He was in the first all-officer training class and the first in his squadron to solo. He went on to become a F-86 jet fighter pilot. In 1955 he married his soul mate, Joy Piland. Immediately after the honeymoon he was shipped to Taipei, Taiwan to serve a tour of duty. His wife was able to join him five months later.
Having completed his time of service in 1957 the decision was made to pursue an art career. He took graduate art courses at the Los Angeles Art Center, (now known as Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California) for three terms. Seeking a career in commercial art led him, his wife, and new daughter, Sheri to Oklahoma City. After a short stint as a commercial artist for an advertising agency, he took a position with the television studio, KOCO-TV as a staff artist. Nine months later he was made Art Director for the station. While at the station the Stewart's had their second daughter, Carolyn.
In
1969 he ventured forth to become a free-lance artist specializing
in western and wildlife paintings. About the same time he began
teaching oil painting classes to supplement their income. In 1981
Gene had an opportunity to open his own art gallery in Cuchara,
Colorado where a ski resort had just opened. Having spent summer
vacations there most of his life, he and Joy made the move. That
was also the year that he began doing sculpture working in petroleum
wax. The life there was great while it lasted, but when the ski
area closed during the mid 80's recession in the area, the decision
was made to return to Oklahoma City where he and his wife currently
live.
Since 1997 he has tried to keep up with the younger generation
by buying a computer. After very many struggles, trials and errors,
he has taught himself enough to design, produce, and install this
web site. In the process he has created some art works, by painting
on the computer, which he sells as prints.
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