Acrylic and giclée

Rory Wagner was born in 1950 in St. Petersburg, Florida.

It’s not surprising that he chose Taos, N.M. as his home. Taos has long been a Mecca for those in search of life at its largest; those who refuse to compromise; and those who demand freedom in their daily existence. Soon after he arrived, Rory happened into the gallery of R.C. Gorman. R.C. became his mentor and helped get him settled into the artistic community. Rory and R.C. were life long friends.

Essentially a self-taught painter, Rory was initially drawn to the work of the Dutch master of portraiture Vermeer. One of his favorite early subjects is the American cowboy, an icon of don’t-fence-me-in heroism.

Wagner is uncompromising in his work. If he is not satisfied with a painting he has been known to destroy it and start anew. Of the six to twelve canvases that annually pass under his intense scrutiny, each glow with a passionate presence. He builds his own stretchers and stretches each canvas himself. Each painting begins with the application of titanium white over multiple layers of sanded gesso. Then the subject is sketched in and the painting begins.

Rory blends the complex skin-tones by rubbing pigment onto the ground. (Wagner often jokes that he rubs instead of painting.) To achieve the authenticity of beadwork and feathering Wagner often uses small double aught brushes. "It takes me hours and hours, day upon day, to complete every one of them," Rory says.

Wagner is meticulous; he researches the smallest details of the subjects he paints and continues to be fascinated by the commonalities of tribes located thousands of miles apart, while living in different regions of the world.