Marcus Amerman
Marcus Amerman is a Native American beadwork artist, glass artist, painter, fashion designer, and performance artist, living in Idaho. He is known for his highly realistic beadwork portraits.
Background
Marcus Amerman was born in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1959 but grew up in the Pacific Northwest. At the age of 10, his aunt taught him the techniques for Native American beadwork. He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington. He also studied at the Institute of American Indian Arts and the Anthropology Film Center.Artwork
His exploration of so many different genres of art overlap each other. For instance, Amerman's beadwork is integrated into clothing design. His outfits are featured in his performance art. His paintings and glasswork use a vivid palette that is found in his beadwork. He has even create giant beads out of glass.Amerman's first foray into realism in beadwork was his 1993 Iron Horse Jacket, a studded leather jacket featuring a highly detailed and modeled image of Brooke Shields in beadwork. Later, he added portrait bracelets to his repertoire. He has portrayed many historical heroes in his beadwork, such as Lloyd Kiva New; as well a pop icons, such as Janet Jackson, and imagery inspired by comic superheroes is a current running throughout his work.
His paintings are expressive and often reflect his Choctaw roots, with Mississippian imagery. His work in glass also includes Mississippian ceramic designs, but more often reflects contemporary designs, such as globes of the earth.