Jackson Narcomey (January 25, 1942 – March 22, 2012) was a
Muscogee Creek
The Muscogee, also known as the Mvskoke, Muscogee Creek, and the Muscogee Creek Confederacy ( in the Muscogee language), are a group of related indigenous (Native American) peoples of the Southeastern WoodlandsOklahoma.
Jackson Leon Narcomey was born in
Tahlequah, Oklahoma
Tahlequah ( ; ''Cherokee'': ᏓᎵᏆ, ''daligwa'' ) is a city in Cherokee County, Oklahoma located at the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. It is part of the Green Country region of Oklahoma and was established as a capital of the 19th-cent ...
.Timothy II, John. "Jackson Narcomey: Artist Profile. Amerindian Arts /ref> His parents were the Rev. Raymond (1908–1962) and Frances Narcomey (1910–2001),U. S. Social Security Death Index who were both fullblood Creeks. Jackson grew up in
Eufaula, Oklahoma
Eufaula is a city and county seat of McIntosh County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,813 at the 2010 census, an increase of 6.6 percent from 2,639 in 2000. Eufaula is in the southern part of the county, north of McAlester and ...
, located in the Muscogee Nation. In high school, Narcomey returned to Tahlequah to attend Sequoyah Indian School.Lester, Patrick D. and Jeanne Snodgrass King. ''The Biographical Directory of Native American Painters.'' Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1995. Library of Congress Catalogue Card # 95-069012. . There he studied studio arts under Riley White. His classes included very influential instruction in
serigraphy
Screen printing is a printing technique where a mesh is used to transfer ink (or dye) onto a substrate, except in areas made impermeable to the ink by a blocking stencil. A blade or squeegee is moved across the screen to fill the open me ...
.
Upon graduation, Narcomey joined the
U.S. Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...
, serving as an on-board flight mechanic. He was honorably discharged after two years of service and returned to Oklahoma and the Muscogee Nation.
Beginning in the 1970s, Narcomey developed his art career in earnest. He painted in the Bacone School flat style as well as non-objective abstraction and sculpture.
His paintings have won state and national awards and today are in private and museum collections. Narcomey also pursued a career as a commercial screen printer.
He died in Muskogee in 2012.
References
See also
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List of Native American artists
This is a list of visual artists who are Native Americans in the United States. The Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 defines "Native American" as being enrolled in either federally recognized tribes or state recognized tribes or "an individua ...
*
List of Native American artists from Oklahoma
This list indexes notable Native American artists from Oklahoma, Oklahoma Territory, or Indian Territory. Artists listed in this index were born in, at one time lived in, or presently live in what is now Oklahoma.
Basket weavers
* Lena Blackbird, ...
*
Muscogee Creek Nation
The Muscogee Nation, or Muscogee (Creek) Nation, is a federally recognized Native American tribe based in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The nation descends from the historic Muscogee Confederacy, a large group of indigenous peoples of the South ...