Gene Locklear
/artist
Gene Locklear
/biography
/about
Gene Locklear, a full–blooded member of the Lumbee Indian Nation, was born in Pembroke, North Carolina, 1949. Gene’s native culture and life experience provide him special insights into the Native American themes he paints — the plight, pride and spirituality of the Indian people.
As a professional athlete, Gene spent 10 years in Major League Baseball playing for the Cincinnati Reds, the San Diego Padres, and the New York Yankees.
Few artists, if any, can paint Sports or Native American art with the authenticity — let alone the soulful style — of Gene Locklear.
Locklear originals range in size from several inches to over 6 feet, with murals over 30 feet. Gene uses oils, acrylics, acrylic washes, and pencils. Reproductions of Gene’s work are also available in limited edition prints directly from his galleries.
Gene is currently available for commissioned works.
His commissioned–art clients include:
The White House
The Pentagon
Bureau of Indian Affairs
NFL (Super Bowls XXVII, XXVIII, XXX)
PGA Phil Mickleson
PGA Tiger Woods
Turner Broadcasting (32 commissioned pieces)
NBA Atlanta Hawks
LPGA Inamori Classic
Ted Williams Baseball Collectable Cards
MLB San Diego Padres
MLB National League Alumni
NASCAR Rusty Wallace
Duke University, Raleigh, NC
Heros of The Game Collectable Cards
Cartwrights Journal of Baseball Collectables
Recent Update:
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Elected into Two Sports Hall of Fames
Robeson County, North Carolina Hall of Fame
1st round choice, 1st year, 2005
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Syracuse Chiefs Baseball Hall of Fame, Syracuse New York, 2011
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Limited Edition Print San Diego State University, 2005
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Limited Edition Print & Poster, Syracuse Chiefs AAA Baseball Organization, 2011
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Ranked #1 listened to radio show in 2012 on 760 KFMB: Sunday 7pm-8pm on July, 22, 2012. Richard and Joe welcome former MLB player and noted Native American artist, Gene Locklear. (Commercial free. 42 minutes.)
Born in USA, 1949
1997-2001 Studied at the School of Fine Arts, NY
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Even though Gene Locklear concedes his two passions are very different, he is convinced baseball and painting have much in common. "They are both individual things, and you have to have talent. You can't just have desire," says Locklear, who left professional baseball to become an artist.
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Locklear, an outfielder for the Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres and New York Yankees from 1969-79, had the talent to win the Triple Crown in the minor leagues and be part of Cincinnati's Big Red Machine.
More important, he broke down racial barriers by becoming the first member of the Lumbee tribe to play professional sports and one of only about two dozen Native Americans to play in the majors.
He can also sell paintings for thousands of dollars and paint for Ted Williams and the Super Bowl. One painting can sell for $30,000, double his rookie season salary.
"His art is timeless," says Marshall Rosenthal, Locklear's manager and friend. "People can actually see a story when they look at it. They see a piece of his life."
Locklear specializes in Native American and sports-themed art.
The work ethic instilled in him when he was younger helped Locklear become a baseball player and an artist. When other kids were playing baseball, he worked on his family's tobacco farm.
"Where I came from, we didn't have Little League," Locklear says of rural North Carolina. "I played with the adult males in the tribe until I could play in high school."
Locklear started painting much earlier. As a 6-year-old in art class, he knew he wanted to be an artist.
He continued to paint in the majors because he needed the extra source of income. Finally, after fighting for playing time and dealing with prejudices, Locklear quit baseball and concentrated on art.
"I wasn't playing," Locklear says. "I was 30 and should have been in my peak. I just thought it was time to start my new career."
Locklear sold his first paintings for $20, just enough to put gas in his car. Now they sell for $20,000.
"My mother always said, 'You have to crawl before you can walk,' " he says of his struggles.
Locklear paints six hours a day in his San Diego studio. Rosenthal says people are always asking how to get more Locklear paintings.
"The first thing that attracts people to his art is the color, the realism," Rosenthal says. "The artwork and the person he is are the same, and it's hard to separate the two."
