Wayne Gilbert | |
---|---|
Born | Wayne Dale Gilbert November 26, 1946
Denver, Colorado, U.S. |
Died | August 17, 2023
Houston, Texas, U.S. | (aged 76)
Nationality | American |
Education | University of Houston |
Known for | Painting |
Website | https://www.waynegilbert.com |
For the Canadian animator, see Wayne Gilbert.
Wayne Dale Gilbert (November 26, 1946 – August 17, 2023) was an American painter and gallerist who lived and worked in Houston, Texas. He was best known for creating paintings using unclaimed, cremated human remains. [1] [2] [3] [4] His life and work were featured in the film “Ash: The Art of Wayne Gilbert,” a documentary directed by filmmaker Wayne Slaten. [3] [5]
Gilbert was born in Denver, Colorado and raised in Houston, Texas. [6] His father was a carpenter, [6] and his mother was a punch-card operator. [5] After graduating from Stephen F. Austin High School, [6] Gilbert worked as an oil field supplies salesman. [2] His interest in art was sparked in the late 1970s when his wife, Beverley, persuaded him to enroll with her in a class at the Houston Museum District home of artist Chester Snowden. [6] [5]
Gilbert attended the University of Houston, earning a Bachelor of Arts in painting in 1984. [5] He described his early work as “'Absurd Expressionism,' focused on humanity at its ugliest, inspired by subjects such as the Jonestown Massacre.” [5] Gilbert later studied at Rice University, earning a Master of Arts in Liberal Arts in 2012.
In addition to creating art, Gilbert ran G Spot Contemporary Gallery in The Heights [5] [7] neighborhood in central Houston and was a partner in DigitalImaging Group, a Houston-based animation studio. [5]
Gilbert died of cancer in Houston, Texas, on August 17, 2023, at the age of 76. [8] [9] [10] [11]
For Gilbert, the idea of using cremated human remains in his art originated after the death of his uncle. [6]
Gilbert contacted funeral homes to locate unclaimed cremains. [6] [12] He had to search for six months to locate the first funerary ashes he used in a work of art. [2] For his cremains works, he mixed the ashes with resin – occasionally adding pigment – to incorporate them into his pieces. [6] [2] [5] [12]
A film called “Ash: The Art of Wayne Gilbert” documents his work and premiered at the 2017 Houston Cinema Arts Festival at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. [3] [5]
Wayne Gilbert | |
---|---|
Born | Wayne Dale Gilbert November 26, 1946
Denver, Colorado, U.S. |
Died | August 17, 2023
Houston, Texas, U.S. | (aged 76)
Nationality | American |
Education | University of Houston |
Known for | Painting |
Website | https://www.waynegilbert.com |
For the Canadian animator, see Wayne Gilbert.
Wayne Dale Gilbert (November 26, 1946 – August 17, 2023) was an American painter and gallerist who lived and worked in Houston, Texas. He was best known for creating paintings using unclaimed, cremated human remains. [1] [2] [3] [4] His life and work were featured in the film “Ash: The Art of Wayne Gilbert,” a documentary directed by filmmaker Wayne Slaten. [3] [5]
Gilbert was born in Denver, Colorado and raised in Houston, Texas. [6] His father was a carpenter, [6] and his mother was a punch-card operator. [5] After graduating from Stephen F. Austin High School, [6] Gilbert worked as an oil field supplies salesman. [2] His interest in art was sparked in the late 1970s when his wife, Beverley, persuaded him to enroll with her in a class at the Houston Museum District home of artist Chester Snowden. [6] [5]
Gilbert attended the University of Houston, earning a Bachelor of Arts in painting in 1984. [5] He described his early work as “'Absurd Expressionism,' focused on humanity at its ugliest, inspired by subjects such as the Jonestown Massacre.” [5] Gilbert later studied at Rice University, earning a Master of Arts in Liberal Arts in 2012.
In addition to creating art, Gilbert ran G Spot Contemporary Gallery in The Heights [5] [7] neighborhood in central Houston and was a partner in DigitalImaging Group, a Houston-based animation studio. [5]
Gilbert died of cancer in Houston, Texas, on August 17, 2023, at the age of 76. [8] [9] [10] [11]
For Gilbert, the idea of using cremated human remains in his art originated after the death of his uncle. [6]
Gilbert contacted funeral homes to locate unclaimed cremains. [6] [12] He had to search for six months to locate the first funerary ashes he used in a work of art. [2] For his cremains works, he mixed the ashes with resin – occasionally adding pigment – to incorporate them into his pieces. [6] [2] [5] [12]
A film called “Ash: The Art of Wayne Gilbert” documents his work and premiered at the 2017 Houston Cinema Arts Festival at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. [3] [5]