O’Brien, Wendilee Heath

Quaker roots and life in Downeast Maine shape my work. My vision is to hold up our most treasured gifts- nature and children celebrating the joy they embody when nurtured. Intertwined with this is the work and way of life I internalized while living in Asia. I take the individual to the universal, returning to the particular as in the art of Haiku. I attempt the 3 steps classical Asian Artists pursued –

first to elicit the response, “Oh how nice’ , then, “I want to visit” and finally, in a true painting, the viewer wants to stay. Creating scenes melds with my calling to paint what can be, not the ignoble in our world. This vision came while parenting, watching children and following their questing and exploring, thrilled by their capacity to wonder. To tell the stories I use 5 different mediums selecting the one whose ‘voice’ best captures the feeling I want engendered. As an artist making my living at my craft, I intentionally and purposefully integrate my business vision into my artistic one. This is manifested in my pricing, use of materials and relationships with clients. I am an artist committed to keeping original art affordable and accessible to all, to walking as tenderly on the earth as possible and to supporting my fellow small business owners.