Brent Learned was born and raised in Oklahoma City. His father, John Learned, was a sculptor, and his mother, Juanita, was the first woman chairperson for the Cheyenne Arapaho tribes. Even as a toddler, Brent was fascinated by art, drawing with pencil and paper while his father worked with modeling clay. His father also impressed upon him the importance of higher education at the University of Kansas, where Learned obtained a BFA in art. As a student, Learned did not explore much Native subject matter, however. That came after his return to Oklahoma, at his mother's urging. Although the artist had briefly experimented with a more loose and colorful style even in school, it was his mother's premature death from cancer that led to his current style: painterly depictions of Plains Indians, buffalo, horses, and wolves rendered in expressionistic shards and swatches of color. Learned received a one-man show at the Oklahoma State Capitol in 2012 and has also displayed work at the governor's mansion and Democratic National Headquarters in Washington, DC. His paintings figure in several museum collections, including the National Museum of the American Indian, the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, and the Cheyenne Arapaho Museum at Clinton, Oklahoma. In this oral history interview excerpt, Learned talks about his early experiences in art and his artistic style. For more information, visit www.library.okstate.edu/oralhistory/ona © 2012 Oklahoma State University Subscribe to this channel: www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=oohrp

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