Resume & Biography:
Education:
BFA...University
of Texas
Three semesters graduate study at Los Angeles Art Center.
Professional
Experience:
Ten
years as Art Director of.KOCO-TV.in Oklahoma City.
Thirty-six 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.
Art show judge. Workshop
instructor.
Thirty-seven 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 OklahomaCity.
GeorgePhippen.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 theWildlife 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 highschool. 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. During that time 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.
Example:
Contact:
Gene C. Stewart
8512 Lowery Lane
Oklahoma City, OK 73132
405-720-7026
geneconrad@aol.com |