Wayne Gilbert

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. His life and work were featured in the film “Ash: The Art of Wayne Gilbert,” a documentary directed by filmmaker Wayne Slaten.

Gilbert was born in Denver, Colorado and raised in Houston, Texas. His father was a carpenter, neighborhood in central Houston and was a partner in DigitalImaging Group, a Houston-based animation studio.

Painting with Cremains For Gilbert, the idea of using cremated human remains in his art originated after the death of his uncle. He had to search for six months to locate the first funerary ashes he used in a work of art. 2022 Wayne Gilbert: The Classic Cremain Paintings, Bill Arning Exhibitions, Houston, Texas 2022 Wayne Gilbert: The End of the Road, Outsider Art Fair, New York, New York 2015 Degrees of Separation, Station Museum of Contemporary Art, Houston, Texas 2013 Human Remains Paintings, 14 Pews, Houston, Texas 2007 Blind Philosophy, Art League of Houston, Houston, Texas 2007 Amistad - Texas Art in Peru, Museo de la Nación, Lima, Peru (group show) 2006 After Life (When the Dust Settles), Gallery 68, Austin, Texas 2006 Contemporary Art Houston, Shanghai Art Museum, Shanghai, China (group show) 2005 Danse Macabre, Megnet Gallery, Beaumont, Texas 1996 Houston-Area Exhibition, Blaffer Art Museum, Houston, Texas (juried group show) 1991 The Big Show '91, Lawndale Art Center, Glassell School of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (juried group show) - Merit Prize