Nocona Burgess was born into one of the most notable Native American lineages as the great-great-grandson of Comanche Chief Quanah Parker. And though he grew up surrounded by traditional artists and their works, he found himself drawn to the image – and the tools – of the modern Indian.
“I go to a traditional dance and drive home in my truck. I like the contrast, the play for balance, the back and forth between the different aspects of my life,” Burgess says. He expresses this same contrast in his award-winning paintings, which blend painterly style with graphic compositions. By painting portraits and other traditional subjects in a contemporary style, he brings them into his sphere of relevancy.
With an emphasis on humanizing the Indian subject, Burgess has struck a chord with audiences worldwide.
"I try to humanize Native Americans, bring out their life experience and their spirit in my paintings."
