Rainmaker Gallery’s Autumn Exhibition HOMELANDS marks the convergence of three very special commemorations: the 80th birthday of Native American exhibiting artist Rick Grimster, who was adopted; the 80th anniversary of the year that WW2 ended; and National Adoption Week (20–26 October). Photo above: One of Rick’s new works in ‘HOMELANDS‘
Rainmaker Gallery’s new exhibition, HOMELANDS, is a vibrant celebration of Rick Grimster’s extraordinary life, refracted through bold, luminous abstract landscapes that speak of belonging, identity and resilience. Rick’s own story is as compelling as his art.
Born in London in 1945 to an English mother and a Native American father, a US Army Airforce serviceman from the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, he was adopted as a baby by Connie and George Grimster. His birth parents’ wartime romance ended with peace: her husband returned from military service and his father, Sergeant Freeman Marshall, was posted back to Oklahoma. Marshall never married or had other children. Instead, he explored a life as a landscape gardener, an affinity for nature that his son would inherit in unexpected ways.
Raised in post-war Britain, young Rick was described at primary school as “highly-strung and artistic.” It was an apt prediction. After working in a Bond Street gallery, he pursued formal training at Cheltenham School of Art and earned an MFA from Birmingham Polytechnic in 1970. Yet, despite his skill, he remained intensely private. “Without painting, I would have no way of expressing myself,” Rick has said previously, but for decades he created quietly, not seeking an audience.
That all changed in 2023. His daughter Lucy, who was exploring her Muscogee roots, visited Rainmaker Gallery and mentioned her father’s art to curator Joanne Prince. When Lucy later brought in a selection of paintings, Joanne was astonished, saying at the time: “Finding an unknown artist of this calibre with such a rich body of work to choose from is thrilling, and UK-based Indigenous artists are rare, so this collaboration is a gift for the gallery in every sense.”
What began as a chance conversation turned into a career-defining debut. At the venerable age of 77, Rick unveiled his first exhibition, Belonging. The show almost sold out within a week, hailed for its glowing, joyous abstractions that seemed to pulse with life. A follow-up exhibition, Winter Trees, deepened the acclaim. Visitors left heartfelt messages in the gallery’s book, including: “Every piece is such a glorious celebration of colour, nature and the joy of painting. Each piece appears to glow with an internal light. My heart feels full.”
Now, HOMELANDS gathers together Rick’s latest work in a show that reflects both his personal journey and the larger forces of history. Through acrylics that merge abstract impressions of England and America, Rick charts his passage across two continents alongside his evolving identities and transformation from adoptee to Indigenous elder. The landscapes shimmer with colour, pattern and texture; playful yet profound, intimate yet universal.
For Rick, painting is more than an artistic pursuit; it is a means of reconciling the disparate strands of his identity. His daughter Lucy has described the evolution of his style saying his earlier work was intense, with subdued palettes and sharp geometric shapes. But over time, Lucy notes this art softened into natural forms and uplifting colours. This exhibition is a milestone in Rick’s story. Inter-racial adoption, displacement from homelands and finding connection with his tribe, family and nature are threads that are strongly visible throughout. In previous shows, trees have been a motif; Rick has represented himself as a tree, or even a copse of trees, rooted yet reaching skyward. The connection is poignant, given his father’s life as a landscape gardener and the late-in-life reunion Lucy brokered between her father and his birth family. In 2000, she tracked down her grandfather in an Oklahoma nursing home.
For Rick, Lucy, and her daughter Sophia, who are now all enrolled citizens of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, the connection to their Native heritage has become an anchor. In April, Rick took his family to Oklahoma – using money from the sale of his paintings – to not only visit ancestral homelands, but to celebrate Lucy’s graduation from a Muskogean language school, gaining a degree via remote learning online. This year has not just marked an artistic milestone, but a family homecoming across generations and continents.
The significance of Grimster’s work has not gone unnoticed. High-profile admirers include writer, broadcaster and art curator Lemn Sissay, who served as the curator for the Ethiopian Pavilion at the 2024 Venice Biennale and was himself placed into long-term foster care as a child. “As a keen collector of Rick’s amazing art, I wish him well in his 80th year,” Lemn says. “What better way to celebrate than with a solo exhibition, at the wonderful Rainmaker Gallery, during National Adoption Week!”
Musician, artist and activist Rob Del Naja of Massive Attack is equally enthusiastic: “Indigenous perspectives give us hope but also warnings for the future of our planet. Rick’s vibrant landscapes are full of energy and optimism, strikingly overlaid with portent symbols. It’s exciting to know he has a new exhibition at Rainmaker Gallery.”
What both admirers point to is the dual resonance of Rick’s work: it is deeply personal yet urgently relevant. His paintings are autobiographical landscapes, but they also echo broader themes of adoption, migration, colonialism and environmental stewardship.
Rainmaker Gallery, which has specialised in contemporary Native American art for almost 35 years, is the perfect stage for this late-blooming career. Under the direction of Joanne Prince, the gallery has consistently championed Indigenous voices, creating a rare and vital space for dialogue in the UK. With HOMELANDS, Joanne says, “Rick’s art is important for its outstanding artistic merit and also because it carries a remarkable story of adoption, reconnection and self-realisation”.
HOMELANDS is open at Rainmaker Gallery now, until 31 December. For anyone planning to visit, the exhibition is not just a celebration of one man’s 80 years but also a testament to the enduring power of art to heal, connect and inspire.
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