| Winky Wheeler
I began drawing before I was two and
I havent 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.
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