Earl Biss

Works
  • Earl Biss, Carriage on a Stormy Afternoon , 1994
    Carriage on a Stormy Afternoon , 1994
  • Earl Biss, Apsaalooke March, 1981
    Apsaalooke March, 1981
  • Earl Biss, A Bright Afternoon in France
    A Bright Afternoon in France
  • Earl Biss, A Painting for Edvard Munch 1980
    A Painting for Edvard Munch 1980
  • Earl Biss, A Portrait of My Great Uncle Curly The Scout
    A Portrait of My Great Uncle Curly The Scout
  • Earl Biss, A Vision Sketch in Pleasant Oil
    A Vision Sketch in Pleasant Oil
  • Earl Biss, Aiken Afternoon 1982
    Aiken Afternoon 1982
  • Earl Biss, Another Storm Along the Rockies
    Another Storm Along the Rockies
  • Earl Biss, As One With the Mist 1990
    As One With the Mist 1990
  • Earl Biss, Autumn Mountain Haze
    Autumn Mountain Haze
  • Earl Biss, Autumn Storm on Crazy Woman Mountains
    Autumn Storm on Crazy Woman Mountains
  • Earl Biss, Beartooth Range
    Beartooth Range
  • Earl Biss, Beartooth Range
    Beartooth Range
  • Earl Biss, Blizzard Along the Beartooth Range
    Blizzard Along the Beartooth Range
  • Earl Biss, Bringing Children Home from Star School (State II)
    Bringing Children Home from Star School (State II)
  • Earl Biss, Buggy Riders on a Snowy Day
    Buggy Riders on a Snowy Day
  • Earl Biss, Camp at the Gap Near Arrow Creek
    Camp at the Gap Near Arrow Creek
  • Earl Biss, Camp of the Mountain Crows
    Camp of the Mountain Crows
  • Earl Biss, Carriage with Horses EB10
    Carriage with Horses EB10
  • Earl Biss, Changing Leads at a Full Gallop
    Changing Leads at a Full Gallop
  • Earl Biss, Cotton Woods in Green & Orange 1981
    Cotton Woods in Green & Orange 1981
  • Earl Biss, Crazy Dogs in the Sun
    Crazy Dogs in the Sun
  • Earl Biss, Early Morning Camp
    Early Morning Camp
  • Earl Biss, Early Snow in the Beartooth Range
    Early Snow in the Beartooth Range
  • Earl Biss, End of the Trail
    End of the Trail
  • Earl Biss, Erotica Schiele-style EB24
    Erotica Schiele-style EB24
  • Earl Biss, Erotica Stars and Stripes EB27
    Erotica Stars and Stripes EB27
  • Earl Biss, Erotica Two Ladies in Darkness EB25
    Erotica Two Ladies in Darkness EB25
  • Earl Biss, Fantasy Rider EB30
    Fantasy Rider EB30
  • Earl Biss, Feel Free to Quote EB41
    Feel Free to Quote EB41
  • Earl Biss, Fire Of The Autumn Leaves
    Fire Of The Autumn Leaves
  • Earl Biss, Five Riders EB8
    Five Riders EB8
  • Earl Biss, Five Warriors in Orange 1981
    Five Warriors in Orange 1981
  • Earl Biss, High Mountain Camp
    High Mountain Camp
  • Earl Biss, High Mountain Campground
    High Mountain Campground
  • Earl Biss, High Society EB13
    High Society EB13
  • Earl Biss, Horse Thieves at Dawn
    Horse Thieves at Dawn
  • Earl Biss, Impressions in an Autumn Mist 1993
    Impressions in an Autumn Mist 1993
  • Earl Biss, Indian with Light Bulb 1995
    Indian with Light Bulb 1995
  • Earl Biss, Jeering the Dog Eaters
    Jeering the Dog Eaters
  • Earl Biss, Jockeys Lining Up EB32
    Jockeys Lining Up EB32
  • Earl Biss, Land of the Free Home of the Brave
    Land of the Free Home of the Brave
  • Earl Biss, Landscape in Green
    Landscape in Green
  • Earl Biss, Late Winter Pass
    Late Winter Pass
  • Earl Biss, Meeting Thunder Cloud 1983
    Meeting Thunder Cloud 1983
  • Earl Biss, Mist Between Day and Night
    Mist Between Day and Night
  • Earl Biss, Morning Camp
    Morning Camp
  • Earl Biss, Mountain Crows
    Mountain Crows
  • Earl Biss, Mountain Glory Boys in Blue
    Mountain Glory Boys in Blue
  • Earl Biss, Oh My God EB36
    Oh My God EB36
  • Earl Biss, Once in a Witching Moon, Reflections of Ancestral Images 1991
    Once in a Witching Moon, Reflections of Ancestral Images 1991
  • Earl Biss, Parisian Stroll (Stained) EB17
    Parisian Stroll (Stained) EB17
  • Earl Biss, Pasa Por Aqui, Death of the White Man EB39
    Pasa Por Aqui, Death of the White Man EB39
  • Earl Biss, Passing Windy Point 1979
    Passing Windy Point 1979
  • Earl Biss, People of the Big Sky 1986
    People of the Big Sky 1986
  • Earl Biss, Poncho in his Sunday Best
    Poncho in his Sunday Best
  • Earl Biss, Race is On EB33
    Race is On EB33
  • Earl Biss, Rainbow Warriors Wandering Through the Autumn
    Rainbow Warriors Wandering Through the Autumn
  • Earl Biss, Red Lodge
    Red Lodge
  • Earl Biss, Reflections on Still Waters
    Reflections on Still Waters
  • Earl Biss, Return of the Raven to the Skokomish 1978
    Return of the Raven to the Skokomish 1978
  • Earl Biss, Rhythm of the Restless
    Rhythm of the Restless
  • Earl Biss, Riders In An Autumn Wind
    Riders In An Autumn Wind
  • Earl Biss, Riders in the Mist
    Riders in the Mist
  • Earl Biss, Salmon Fishing on Columbia River
    Salmon Fishing on Columbia River
  • Earl Biss, Silent Sunrise Morning
    Silent Sunrise Morning
  • Earl Biss, Single Native Portrait EB6
    Single Native Portrait EB6
  • Earl Biss, Sixteen Crows in Grey
    Sixteen Crows in Grey
  • Earl Biss, Spring of the Rainbow Warriors
    Spring of the Rainbow Warriors
  • Earl Biss, Standing in a Chinook Wind 1996
    Standing in a Chinook Wind 1996
  • Earl Biss, Storm on Thunder Mountain
    Storm on Thunder Mountain
  • Earl Biss, Strolling Lady with Child in the Park EB14
    Strolling Lady with Child in the Park EB14
  • Earl Biss, Strolling Lady with Child in the Park EB15
    Strolling Lady with Child in the Park EB15
  • Earl Biss, Strolling Through a Fire in the Sky 1991
    Strolling Through a Fire in the Sky 1991
  • Earl Biss, Strolling Through a Poplar Grove at the Base of Black Canyon 1997
    Strolling Through a Poplar Grove at the Base of Black Canyon 1997
  • Earl Biss, Study for the Wood Gatherers 1977
    Study for the Wood Gatherers 1977
  • Earl Biss, Sunday Evening After Church 92 EB18
    Sunday Evening After Church 92 EB18
  • Earl Biss, Sunrise Morning in Purple and Orange Circa 1986
    Sunrise Morning in Purple and Orange Circa 1986
  • Earl Biss, Sunrise on the Whistling Waters
    Sunrise on the Whistling Waters
  • Earl Biss, The Agony of Defeat EB37
    The Agony of Defeat EB37
  • Earl Biss, The Day the Water Came 1984
    The Day the Water Came 1984
  • Earl Biss, The First Thaw in Blue
    The First Thaw in Blue
  • Earl Biss, The Green Grass of Home
    The Green Grass of Home
  • Earl Biss, The Ice Fisherman
    The Ice Fisherman
  • Earl Biss, The Journey to Find the Rainbow Medicine's Home
    The Journey to Find the Rainbow Medicine's Home
  • Earl Biss, The Slip 1982
    The Slip 1982
  • Earl Biss, They Stood Like the Glory of the Sun
    They Stood Like the Glory of the Sun
  • Earl Biss, Thoughts of North Country 1990
    Thoughts of North Country 1990
  • Earl Biss, Three Chiefs in the Big House for Denise 1993 EB2
    Three Chiefs in the Big House for Denise 1993 EB2
  • Earl Biss, Trees by the River EB12
    Trees by the River EB12
  • Earl Biss, Turn of the Century Indians with New Hats and Old Hats (State II)
    Turn of the Century Indians with New Hats and Old Hats (State II)
  • Earl Biss, Twilight Walk in the Rain EB19
    Twilight Walk in the Rain EB19
  • Earl Biss, Unfinished Painting of an Untold Story 1990
    Unfinished Painting of an Untold Story 1990
  • Earl Biss, Untitled
    Untitled
  • Earl Biss, Untitled
    Untitled
  • Earl Biss, Untitled - Desperados
    Untitled - Desperados
  • Earl Biss, Untitled - Four Chiefs, a Dog, and a Boy 1983
    Untitled - Four Chiefs, a Dog, and a Boy 1983
  • Earl Biss, Untitled Aspen Trees & The Rockies
    Untitled Aspen Trees & The Rockies
  • Earl Biss, Untitled Circa 1978
    Untitled Circa 1978
  • Earl Biss, Vision of Fog In A Morning 1985
    Vision of Fog In A Morning 1985
  • Earl Biss, Walking the Yellowstone
    Walking the Yellowstone
  • Earl Biss, Walking Upon the Thundering Waters
    Walking Upon the Thundering Waters
  • Earl Biss, War Flags on Broken Waters
    War Flags on Broken Waters
  • Earl Biss, War Shields Winter Vision
    War Shields Winter Vision
  • Earl Biss, Warriors in the Storm 1980
    Warriors in the Storm 1980
  • Earl Biss, Watching the Camp 1987
    Watching the Camp 1987
  • Earl Biss, Water Lilies with My Mind Deep in the Rainforest
    Water Lilies with My Mind Deep in the Rainforest
  • Earl Biss, Wind, River, Snow
    Wind, River, Snow
  • Earl Biss, Winter Wind Along The Rim Rocks
    Winter Wind Along The Rim Rocks
  • Earl Biss, Yellow Robes in the Crazy Woman Mountains
    Yellow Robes in the Crazy Woman Mountains
Biography
View works. Earl Biss, Early Snow in the Beartooth Range
Early Snow in the Beartooth Range
View works

Earl Biss (1947 – 1998) was a profound contributor to the explosion of Southwestern Art in the last half of the 20th century, and particularly to the rise of contemporary Native American Art. His compelling portraits of Plains Indian horsemen, his phenomenal grasp of the medium of oil painting, and above all the sheer exuberance of his palette and brushwork earned him a place in the history books of modern art. He was, according to one Southwest critic and collector, ‘The greatest colorist of the 20th century.’

 


biss bio webBorn in Reston, Washington and raised by his grandmother on the Crow reservation in southern Montana, Biss was an enrolled member of the Crow Nation and given the Indian name ‘Spotted Horse’ by the tribe. He found inspiration for his works in tribal legends and histories learned from the elders, and in the sweeping landscapes of the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains.


Biss was a central figure in the ‘miracle generation’ of students at the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) in Santa Fe in the 1960s. When Earl and his fellow students – which included Kevin Red Star, T.C. Cannon and Doug Hyde – arrived at IAIA, western art was focused on cowboys and landscapes, while Native art was stylized, linear and depictive. (And often produced for the tourist market.)


That perspective was too narrow for Biss, who studied painting with Fritz Scholder, sculpture with Allan Houser, jewelry and design with Charles Loloma and architecture with Paolo Soleri. Inspired by these teachers, as well as fauvism, impressionism, expressionism and other modernist movements, Biss pushed himself and his friends to create an entirely new genre that we know today as Contemporary Southwestern Art. ‘Earl was the catalyst,’ Red Star said, ‘like the agitator in a washing machine.’


Biss went on to the San Francisco Art Institute on a full scholarship, then moved to Paris where he haunted museums and studied printmaking with S. W. Hayter. Returning to Santa Fe, he rented studio space with several of his fellow artists who continually pushed each other to further develop their unique styles.


Even as his career skyrocketed, Earl’s struggle with his dark side intensified. He painted in bursts of 48 or even 72 hours, refusing to eat and working to collapse. When not in the studio, he was famous for his consumption of alcohol and other substances, and for going through nine marriages.


Weakened both by his lifestyle and a childhood bout with rheumatic fever that damaged his heart, Earl Biss died of a stroke in his studio in 1998. His works in the Contemporary Southwestern Art style are now collected worldwide.