See Great Art
Mateo Romero discusses artwork and influence of Earl Biss
BY CHADD SCOTT
August 15, 2022
“Earl Biss is my favorite artist. All-time favorite. Van Gogh is No. 2. I first came across Earl Biss art at the James Museum of Western and Wildlife Artin St. Petersburg, FL in 2019.
I was astonished at first sight. I’d never been so emotionally engaged, so spiritually captivated by a piece of artwork as I was by his massive Magic Thunder in the Northern Sky. I could feel Earl Biss attempting to communicate with me from the great beyond. I’d never felt anything like this in front of a painting before. I saw the future and the past.
Seeing this painting set me on a course to learn more about Earl Biss. I came across his biography, “The Spirit Who Walks Among His People,” written by Lisa Gerstner. She has become a friend. I’ve watched her documentary film of the same name.
Earl Biss (1947-1998, Apsáalooke) was a visionary painter. A brilliant colorist. A genius. He could paint with either hand. Simultaneously. In different colors on different images. Legendary stories of him painting for 24-plus hours straight on the eve of gallery show openings are commonplace throughout Aspen, Vail and Santa Fe where he was represented. So are stories of his carousing, his numerous wives, his penchant for blowing through money. His generosity. His unbridled soul.
When creating this website and transitioning my career to arts writing from sports media, highlighting the work of Native American artists was a primary objective. “Finding” Earl Biss gave me an additional banner to carry, a specific artist to champion.
For all of his talent, Earl Biss art is rare to find in museum collections. The James has several. The Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa has a great one. Others are in museum collections, but rarely on view.”
