Stan Gilliam, Artist


My self-published books, Characterology (Vols. 1 and 2) and The Highwayman, were printed in 2019 and 2020 and are now available for purchase through this website. They are are 8.5 x 11 inches in size and printed on high-quality paper. They were completely designed by me and produced by local printers. Each copy is autographed. 


Characterology 1 & 2 feature  series of faces based primarily on digital color photographs of various objects in my studio -- junk, wood scraps, old toys. The majority were created by combining mirror images of the items to make symmetrical, mask-like visages. After making several of them I realized that each had its own personality, and if they could speak, they would reveal themselves to me. So I began writing down the things they might say. In the books their words appear on each page under their “portraits.”


The Highwayman is a calligraphic transcription of the famous old poem by Alfred Noyes. I produced the artwork in 1974, attempting to choose and create styles of script that match the moods and images of the poem as it goes along. When finished I contacted the copyright holder about permission to publish the results, but I was refused. So I put the seventy-two pages away and began other projects. Then early in 2019 I learned that the poem had entered the public domain, freeing me to publish my work, forty-five years after it was produced.


I have been a practicing artist since 1962, and I have a Bachelor’s degree in Art from UNC-Chapel Hill (1968), a Master of Fine Arts degree from UNC-Greensboro (1972), and a Master of Education degree from UNC-Chapel Hill (1982). I also attended Pratt Institute.


My paintings, drawings, and photographs have been exhibited in Alaska, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and the country of Belgium. I have also illustrated several magazine articles and two published children’s books, notably Katie and the Computer, and The Computer Parade. Unfortunately, both are out of print.


You may email me at: stangilliam@bellsouth.net


Thanks!




Stan Gilliam, Artist