50 Artists: 50 Years of Art in Springfield: Gloria Tinker: Native American Spirituality Captured on Canvas

Note: In early September, Todd Peterson had to move on to other work responsibilities but will contribute to "50 Artists" from time to time. He extends his appreciation to all the artists he has interviewed and to the staff of the Emerald Art Center.

As time permits, Todd will update this blog with the articles written by other contributing writers for The Springfield Beacon.

Featured in the Springfield Beacon (September 26, 2007)

50 Artists: 50 Years of Art in Springfield
Celebrating arts and culture in our community

By Brian McClellan
For the Beacon

Gloria Tinker
Native American spirituality captured on canvas

Each watercolor or oil painting of Gloria Tinker will traverse you through the world of Native American spirituality with it’s images of flowers, animals and people. Her detailed strokes and choice of color not only captures the life of her idea but also infuses it with the ideas of spiritually and healing. “Art has to have a melody,” Tinker says.

Tinker, a native Oregonian, was born part Native American and an artist. Being an artist since childhood, her first award was won in sixth grade for a rendering in chalk and crayon of cave men hunting a mammoth.

She started down her path to spiritually in her forties. Questions like “Who am I?” “Where Am I going?” “What difference does it make?” plagued her mind and affected her art. She found her answers in Native American healing and spirituality. It was then she started to attend their ceremonies.

With this new spiritual paradigm, Tinker learned to see the bigger picture, the bigger light. “The more you know the more you don’t know,” she says.

These new ideas translated themselves into her art. Medicine art, she explained is different from her other works by its use of narrative. Now her art ability has transgressed beyond the simple mechanics of a paint brush. The ability to see is important. “It’s not just green,” she said. “There also might be yellow. It’s the skill of seeing by closing your eyes.”

Today, after attending to University of Oregon, Lane Community College, and Eugene’s school of Commercial art, she teaches water color and oils at Williamalane Parks and Recreation. Her class’s pictures can be seen at Terese’s place on Sixth and Main, next to the Wildish Theater. She’s been in numerous galleries, at one point she even owned her own gallery and ran her own exhibitions.

What or who inspired you to begin your work as an artist? – Without a T.V or siblings she was left to her own musings and so she turned to painting.

Did you have mentors to guide you? – She was guided by her spirit, painting whatever she found interesting. For example, she explained that six months she would only paint horses with water colors. This led her to try various different subjects.

What difference does creating art make to the quality of your life? – Art is every where Tinker said, “It’s in nature. It could be butterflies at play, or a beautiful person. Art is the imitation of what we see in nature everyday.”

"Imagine" by Gloria Tinker

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About The Artist

Birthplace: Seattle, Wash.

Arts education: Lane Community College, University of Oregon, and Eugene’s School of Commercial Art.

Media preferred: Watercolor and oils.

Web site: www.ArtistGloriaTinker.com
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All art images and photos of the art are copyright of the artist.