Orville Bulman

Orville Bulman, a self-taught mid-twentieth century modern artist, was born in 1904 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. After graduating from Grand Rapids Central High School, however, he traveled to Chicago for one year to work as a newspaper cartoonist before entering the business world. During the early 1950s, while painting regionalist scenes of American country and southern life, Bulman happened to see pictures of Haiti and admired the island's style, verve and gracefully trimmed houses with lacy appliqué carved wood. 

Painting seven imaginative works inspired by photographs, he subsequently visited Haiti for the first time in March of 1952, and traveled to other Caribbean islands during the 1950s as well. Bulman loved Haiti and its people and felt that they were the best inspiration for further work. He lived with the islanders in the rustic hills for a time and felt like he was a part of their village, deeply experiencing their religion, humor and lifestyle and respecting their way of life far better than other Americans. 

The Haitians loved his art and encouraged him to continue creating his whimsical scenes of elegant women and men and playful children.The inspiration of Bulman's "jungle paintings" of the 1960s and '70s was the work of Henri Rousseau, old master paintings, along with the lush foliage and tropical scenery of his Manalapan, Florida home. The islanders in Bulman's world became princesses, duchesses, kings and queens.

From the beginning of Bulman's art career, he and his wife Jean established a foundation that was devoted to helping other artists and art museums.The Grand Rapids Art Museum was able to purchase a painting by Picasso because of the couple's generosity. Bulman would also purchase other artists' works, and then donate them to a museum or gallery. Jean and Orville truly were a most magnanimous and delightful couple, and Bulman's métier, second only to his passion for painting, was helping and encouraging artists to paint and promote their own works. Jean and Orville were also generous and kind to the many people in the service industry whom they encountered. They treated everyone with the highest regard and at times even fought for their rights as citizens.

By 1977, Bulman had exhibited in 41 one-man shows and sold over 2,000 paintings. He died on January 4, 1978.