GARY MONTGOMERY

Among Oklahoma’s new generation of Native American artists, Gary Montgomery typifies the new freedom in Indian art.  His canvasses combine the technical skills of a superb realistic painter with a deep sensitivity to the Indian way. Montgomery’s paintings are not documents. They do not record history or legends or even particular tribes. His work is concerned with the inner spirit of the American Indian.  His paintings strip away the nonessentials to touch the humanity of Indian people. Yet, at the same time, he captures, perhaps better than any of his contemporaries, the emotional context of “Indianess.”

People tend to philosophize about art too much, says Gary. Talking seems to cloud rather than illumine, to interpose too much between the art and the viewer. He prefers to let his paintings speak for themselves.   And they do. Eloquently, powerfully, simply, they speak about the human condition, about deep emotions, gentle moments, and mystical yearnings.  Above all, they speak about simple feelings, which give life its meaning.

If his technique is non-traditional, his message is unmistakably Indian.  For Montgomery, that quality derives from his closeness to Indian people and from his conviction that artistic expressions should not be limited by any particular style. His surprising maturity as an artist reflects a special understanding of human emotion. His painting, “After the Scolding,” has become something of a classic for its touching expression of the bond between mother and child, and his action paintings reflect not only a mastery of anatomy, movement and detail but also an understanding of the emotional dimension of physical activity.

Gary Montgomery, a full blood Seminole, lives in Shawnee, Oklahoma with his wife Linda, and his daughter, Dene. He was educated at East Central University, Ada, Oklahoma, and has painted professionally since 1972. He is a member of the Masters Category of The Five Civilized Tribes Museum in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Gary travels to many prestigious art shows throughout the country and has won many major awards including the Grand Award at the Masters Show in Muskogee, Oklahoma, and the Grand Award at the Trail of Tears Show in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.