Winky Wheeler

I began drawing before I was two and I haven’t stopped yet! When I was in the sixth grade we were asked what we thought we would be in the year 2000. My first thought was that I would be very, very old. (having done the math!) I knew that I would be an artist. Since that time I graduated, cum Laude, from the School of Visual Arts in NYC and I have continued to pursue my career as an artist ever since.

My work starts in my sketchbook, loosely creating forms that begin to suggest a figure. As the character continues to emerge, I redefine the shape and add specific details, including who and where they are and what they are doing. I am always looking to incorporate whimsical aspects into the drawing. Sometimes I am lucky enough to create the whole drawing at one time, but most often I continue to work with the composition and the details, coming back to the piece over time until I have a drawing I like. When I am satisfied with the pencil sketch, I redraw it with a technical pen on watercolor paper, and introduce watercolor washes to the ink drawing. The carefully applied colors are added in many individual layers, transforming the original black and white image into a finished piece of artwork.

Although my work comes from imagination, I spend time drawing realistically from life, focusing on my observations of nature, the world around me, and images captured in photographs. This allows me to blend a sense of reality, inspiration and memories into my art. The images I create are intended to bring together the richness of creativity and nature in a fun way. I hope my work encourages us to see things a little differently and inspires change, so that the beauty of our world will be here to nurture the generations that follow us.

Contact the artist: wwd@comcast.net