"Untitled" by R.C Gorman

Original Pastel on Paper with Custom Frame

1981

Hand Signed by the Artist

R.C. Gorman

1931 - 2005

Before moving to Taos, R.C. Gorman had enjoyed an active career in several venues.During a stint in the Navy, he drew portraits of his fellow sailors girlfriends.Borrowing on the style Alberto Vargas, he glamorized the hometown girls for a small fee, and always managed to have extra spending money. After his discharge from the Navy, the Navajo People awarded Gorman their first scholarship to study art abroad.He spent a Bohemian year studying at Mexico City College, now known as the University of the Americas.Gorman thrived under the influence of the Mexican masters -Orozco, Rivera, Siqueiros, and Tamayo.He never met any of these artists, and he never studied directly with them, but their influence on his art was tremendous.Their use of color and freedom of style stimulated his imagination.During this time, the contemporary Indian art movement as we know it today was nonexistent.Indian art was confined to the traditional style encouraged by the Indian art schools.Gorman had no bonds to this style.He was unique.He experimented randomly.His approach to drawing, especially, developed almost by accident during this year in Mexico.As he hurried from an oil painting class to a drawing class, he cleaned his brushes on the butcher on which he drew with a grease pencil.Then when he worked on the oily paper, the pencil grease partially dissolved and gave a marvelous washed effect, so he added color using turpentine as a medium.He developed and refined this technique and still uses this approach forty years later.After Mexico, Gorman moved to San Francisco and established his first studio.He was the stereotypical struggling, if not starving, up-and-coming artist.To supplement his income, R.C. worked as an artist s model for several university and private classes throughout the Bay area.