Artwork copyright Ric Gendron. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Ric Gendron. Photo courtesy of the artist, 2020.

Artwork copyright Ric Gendron. Photo courtesy of the artist, 2020.

Artwork copyright Ric Gendron. Photo courtesy of the artist, 2020.

I Am a Rock, 2019

Ric Gendron
(American | Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Arrow Lakes Band, born 1954, died 2023)

Location: Washington State University, Pullman

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

I Am a Rock by artist Ric Gendron (Arrow Lakes) is one of his three paintings at Washington State University that show different elements of the Native American spiritual journey.

Across the Universe (left) represents one’s first journey into the spirit world through ceremony. The next level of the spiritual journey is when one must separate one's self from the physical world, represented by I Am a Rock (center). And the final journey is being able to travel between the physical and spiritual levels represented through On the Turning Away (right).

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Washington State University.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Artist Ric Gendron (Arrow Lakes, 1954-2023) created figurative paintings that blend Native American imagery with bold colors. In his own words: "Nobody was painting the Indian the way the Indian actually lived, reservation life and things that go on in Indian culture.” His art includes his experiences as a tribal member and his appreciation of American pop culture, such as the Beat poets of the 1960s, jazz, blues, and rock and roll music.

Gendron was a member of the Arrow Lakes Band of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation in Northeastern Washington, where he lived and worked. He studied art at Spokane Falls Community College in Spokane (1985-86), Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle (1987-88), and Eastern Washington University (1989). Gendron was a powwow singer and drummer who shared his cultural teachings. In 2013, he was the subject of an exhibition that was shown at the Museum of Northwest Art in La Conner (Northwestern Washington) and the Museum of Contemporary Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, among other locations. He was an artist-in-residence at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe and taught art at Gonzaga University in Spokane. His art is the focus of two books, "Rattlebone" and "Kwilstn (Sweat Lodge)".