Lorrie's Pop Life Art Blog

A Moment Mismanaged by Robert Dean Stockwell

Artist Robert Dean Stockwell is known to most people as actor Dean Stockwell from such works as Quantum Leap, Battleship Galactica, Paris, Texas, and many others. Stockwell uses his full name, Robert Dean Stockwell, when presenting his artwork. At Stockwell’s website, http://stockwellart.com/, it says, “It should be noted, however, that RDS is very strict about keeping his art and his acting careers separate. While he is credited as an actor as “Dean Stockwell”, his artist’s name is his full name on purpose. He considers the “artist” and the “actor” to be like two different people, and he asks that his fans respect this.”

Stockwell’s first involvment with creating art began in the 1960s when he met artists such as Ed Moses, Wallace Berman, George Hermes, and Bruce Conner in Venice, California. Interestingly, a photo that he took of Wallace Berman appears on the cover of the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album. Robert Dean Stockwell also created the cover of Neil Young’s American Stars N Bars album. However, he didn’t fully commit to being an artist until 2003. Stockwell told Trend Magazine,  “I never thought of just devoting myself to art until my children, Austin and  Sophia, left the nest. I bought a draftsman’s  table and started with, Well, I can  make collages. That was summer of 2003,  and I haven’t stopped since. I find myself constantly learning about myself as I go  through life. And in the ensuing years it  just gets easier, and my access to dig deep  becomes more facile.”

In 2004 Stockwell published Robert Dean Stockwell : Spagyric Eye a book of the artwork from his first show in Taos, New Mexico.

Robert Dean Stockwell’s next show is “Collages and Bones” at The Grand Bohemian Gallery at El Monte Sagrado Resort in Taos, New Mexico. The exhibition is made up of Stockwell’s collages and dice sculptures. His sculptures were inspired by a gift of six dice from friend and artist, Doug Coffin. Among the collages in the show are “The Anon collages” which consist of clippings from the 1902 periodical, London Times that were sent to Stockwell by artist and friend Bruce Conner without a note two months before his death. Stockwell says that Conner sent them, without comment, addressed to Anon, care of Robert Dean Stockwell, from Anon, care of Bruce Conner.

The show opens with an Artist Reception May 31, 2014, from 5 PM – 7 PM, and it continues through July 14, 2014.  Contact the gallery for more information.

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Visit the Pop Life Art homepage for links to many more actors that are artists.