Wayne Dale Gilbert (November 26, 1946 – August 17, 2023) was an American painter and gallerist who lived and worked in Houston, Texas. He was best known for creating paintings using unclaimed, cremated human remains.[1][2][3][4] His life and work were featured in the film “Ash: The Art of Wayne Gilbert,” a documentary directed by filmmaker Wayne Slaten.[3][5]
Gilbert was born in Denver, Colorado and raised in Houston, Texas.[6] His father was a carpenter,[6] and his mother was a punch-card operator.[5] After graduating from Stephen F. Austin High School,[6] Gilbert worked as an oil field supplies salesman.[2] His interest in art was sparked in the late 1970s when his wife, Beverley, persuaded him to enroll with her in a class at the Houston Museum District home of artist Chester Snowden.[6][5]
Gilbert attended the University of Houston, earning a Bachelor of Arts in painting in 1984.[5] He described his early work as “'Absurd Expressionism,' focused on humanity at its ugliest, inspired by subjects such as the Jonestown Massacre.”[5] Gilbert later studied at Rice University, earning a Master of Arts in Liberal Arts in 2012.
In addition to creating art, Gilbert ran G Spot Contemporary Gallery in The Heights[5][7] neighborhood in central Houston and was a partner in DigitalImaging Group, a Houston-based animation studio.[5]
Gilbert died of cancer in Houston, Texas, on August 17, 2023, at the age of 76.[8][9][10][11]
Painting with Cremains
For Gilbert, the idea of using cremated human remains in his art originated after the death of his uncle.[6]
Gilbert contacted funeral homes to locate unclaimed cremains.[6][12] He had to search for six months to locate the first funerary ashes he used in a work of art.[2] For his cremains works, he mixed the ashes with resin – occasionally adding pigment – to incorporate them into his pieces.[6][2][5][12]
