Gerald James Stone
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Fine Arts represents
Gerald James Stone
Sad-Eyed Sisters of the Old Lands, 2020 Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento describes Gerald Stone as a “beloved local master artist.” Gerald himself just brushes off the accolades and calls his work “weird.” His stylized art, which he describes as a conversation between himself and his Creator, bridges traditional and contemporary styles and themes.
Born in the far reaches Hope of rural Oklahoma, Stone was a kid who liked to draw and has lived a life of peaks and valleys, always around the midline of art. Just before he was scheduled to join the Army, headed most likely to Vietnam, he was accepted for a two-year program at the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) in Santa Fe, a city often considered the center of the Native art world.
Eventually, he earned a BFA from the University of Oklahoma, and spent years juggling art and construction work to support his family, entering juried competitions and selling his work through galleries. While planning a solo exhibition, he was involved in a serious car accident which derailed his interest in creating art for more than a decade.
In 2009, he finally held his long-planned solo exhibition, which sold out, and he now shows in several galleries and works from his home in Sacramento.
Professor Nicolas G. Rosenthal in his article for the Crocker Art Museum wrote, “Themes of multiple worlds, prophecies and ignored warnings, Native cosmology, and the fluidity of time and place run throughout Stone’s recent work, immersing the viewer in compositions that are both poignantly relevant and slyly whimsical.”
Selected Exhibitions & Recognition
• Gerald Stone Mysteries
Featured in Mitchell Pluto’s Gerald Stone Mysteries, highlighting Stone’s visionary storytelling, surreal symbolism, and lifelong exploration of Indigenous identity, mythology, and spirituality through contemporary painting. The feature describes his work as “landscapes within landscapes” populated by spirits, seekers, ancestors, and timeless narratives.
• Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA)
Completed the prestigious post-graduate program at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe after being accepted just days before his scheduled enlistment during the Vietnam War.
• Crocker Art Museum
Recognized as a “beloved local master artist” in conjunction with exhibitions featuring his work, celebrating decades of contributions to contemporary Native art.
• Solo Exhibitions
Established a successful solo exhibition career beginning in 2009, with work represented by select galleries and private collections.
• Contemporary Indigenous Storytelling
Internationally recognized for creating symbolic narrative paintings that weave Indigenous history, spirituality, memory, and contemporary issues into richly layered visual stories.
