Today we’d like to introduce you to Wendy Rouse.
Hi Wendy, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Inspired by a love of the north woods my art celebrates nature. A variety of political and philosophical ideas work their way into the paintings but always I strive to create beautiful and engaging pieces.
I earned a BFA from the University of MN Duluth and an MFA in Painting from the New York Academy of Art.
Artist residencies and several Arrowhead Regional Arts Grants have encouraged me financially and emotionally throughout the years and I am truly grateful for that recognition. My paintings are in many private and public collections including the Tweed Museum of Art and 3M Company. She is currently represented by Lizzards Fine Art in Duluth MN and Lark and Key Gallery in Charlotte NC.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
After earning a living in the restaurant business and the joys and challenges of family life I now have time to spend painting.
My husband and I sold our restaurant in San Francisco and moved back to Minnesota. We were originally from Duluth but chose to move to Ely on the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe wilderness because we had always loved this area. Now I can cross-country ski and canoe and camp and paint to my heart’s content.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Still, life, landscape, and figure combine in my paintings to present a magic realism tempered with a hint of humor; magical because what you see doesn’t quite make sense, yet realistic because of a faithful representation of objects. Detailed renderings in oil or watercolor often incorporate reflections (evoking a calm lake) plus plants and creatures from the boreal forest and objects from the man-made world.
I often bring plants into the studio and set them on a mirror to replicate how they might be seen in their natural environment, creating a forest still life. An important aspect of these paintings is the illusion of space volume and light employed by the old masters and artists of the Renaissance, from which I find much inspiration.
Pricing:
- My oil paintings range in price from $300.00-$3000.00
Contact Info:
- Website: wendyrouse.com
- Instagram: @mizwendyrouse
