About The Artist

"My work is changing. It is becoming more abstract, but I will always remain traditional because that is what my work is about...I'm painting for my grandmother and my grandfather." --Rance Hood

Rance, who grew up in Lawton, Oklahoma, was raised by his Comanche grandparents. His grandfather was a peyotist and it was from him that he learned traditional religion and its expression through art. From his grandmother's beadwork he learned the mystical value of geometric designs.

Completely self-taught as an artist and starting at a relatively young age of 20 years, Rance has since been highly acclaimed by critics. In the 1970's his works rapidly gained attention and he was proclaimed to be the most successful living traditional Plains artist. His works are displayed in numerous galleries, museums, and private collections throughout the United States and is fast gaining attention internationally as well.

His themes are mystical. Most everything he paints is spiritual, developing his work through the customs and religious practices which were passed down to him. His robust motion and theatrical expression reflects the interior spirituality - defining the entire mood of uncertainty and anxiety that prevails in the inner life of man. Sharing with the public that which his visions reveal - that beauty is everywhere - imminent in nature and all its forms.

He works not in gradual measured approaches but spontaneously, attacking it, living a whole thought at once to produce a living image. His creative work manifests itself in his energies, forming and gathering strength.