Richard C. Gilkey was born December 20, 1925 in Bellingham, Washington and spent his first six years in British Columbia, Canada where his father worked for the timber industry. The family returned to the Skagit Valley, and then moved to Seattle when Gilkey was twelve where he went to Ballard High School. Before finishing high school, he enlisted in the Marine Corps and served in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Gilkey was discharged in 1944.

Gilkey learned to draw as a child and except for high school classes was largely self-taught. While working at various jobs as a young man, Gilkey continued to practice his art, inspired by the works of Guy Anderson, Morris Graves and Mark Tobey. In the mid-forties, Gilkey set up a studio in Skid Row at the corner of Yesler and 1st Avenue in what is now known as Pioneer Square, and with encouragement from Tobey and Graves, experimented in his painting of local figures, still lifes, and cityscapes. Gilkey continued to return to the Skagit Valley when he could paint the landscape of the country. Having inherited some money from his grandmother, Gilkey traveled in Europe for four months in 1948 where he explored the museums and became particularly impressed with the works of Rembrandt, Goya, and van Gogh. Returning to Seattle, Gilkey continued to hone his craft and in 1958 was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship which allowed him to travel to Europe where he painted and studied in Ireland and Italy.

Gilkey’s work ranges from monochromes and black and whites to brilliant color, and the influence of the Skagit Valley can be seen his paintings though his later work became more abstract. His work was included in art shows throughout the Northwest, and in 1982 his work was part of an exhibit at the Osaka National Museum of Art featuring Pacific Northwest artists. In 1990 Gilkey was named the winner of the Osaka Triennale Exhibition and in 1991 was awarded the Washington State Govenor's Art Award. Gilkey’s paintings remain in private and public collections including the Seattle Art Museum, the King County Arts Commission, The Seattle Times, and Swedish Hospital.

Richard Gilkey was diagnosed with lung cancer in September 1997 and died October 3, 1997 at age 72.

Sources: Ament, D.T. (2003 March 13). Gilkey, Richard (1925-1997): Painter of human consciousness. Retrieved from http://www.historylink.org/File/5404; Museum of Northwest Art. (n.d.). Richard Gilkey. Retrieved from http://www.monamuseum.org/artist/richard-gilkey; Richard Gilkey. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved May 16, 2018 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Gilkey.