ARTIST STATEMENT
I embrace youthful innocence through complex and accomplished artistic methods, both hand-made and high-tech. This has become my distinctive make-believe world that I express in painting, drawing, ceramic, soft sculpture and animation.
There are many things going on in my ?world? that I play out intuitively on the canvas with a variety of mediums (pencil, colored pencil, tinted gesso, acrylic paint, oil paint). Working in series, I have themes inspired by my childhood, pets, family, and fantasy. I take these images and transform them into an intimate and surreal vocabulary infused with personal nostalgia and dreaminess.
My current body of work shows the emergence of a bubble shape frame, like a ?pow? in a cartoon panel. This shape represents a portal or vignette for portraits, other dimensions, or childhood memories. With a crisp, decorative edge, it brings homage to my graphic design background and interest in children?s cartoons. I am referencing endearing and funny moments from family photographs. These works are about exploring our individual personalities. I show this through a balance of unflinching realism, abstraction, and humor.
This year I have expanded my vocabulary to installation. Making my own patterns and sewing soft sculpture interpretations of elements in my paintings, ceramics and animations creating an entire ?wendy world? .
BORN:
1967 Austin, Texas
LIVES / WORKS Houston, Texas
EDUCATION:
1998 – 01 Alfred C. Glassell School of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX
1997, 1999, 2000 Collin Community College, Plano, TX
1990 – 92 The Art Institute of Houston, Houston TX, A.D.
1989 Maine Photographic Workshop, Rockport, ME
1987 – 88 Austin Community College, Austin, TX
AWARDS & SCHOLARSHIPS:
2008 Hunting Art Prize Recipient, 2008, Hunting, PLC
2007 DiverseWorks Retreat and Creative Capital Professional Development Workshop
for Visual and Performing Artists, Houston, TX
2004 DiverseWorks Retreat and Creative Capital Professional Development Workshop
for Visual and Performing Artists, Houston, TX
2003 Honorable Mention, Assistance League of Houston Celebrates Texas Art 2003,
Williams Tower Gallery, Houston, TX, Juror: Connie Butler, Curator, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA
2000 Carol Crow Scholarship, Glassell School of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX
Director?s Scholarship, Glassell School of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX
1999 Herbert C. Wells Scholarship, Glassell School of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX
SOLO EXHIBITIONS:
2013 “Look to the Left” Women & Their Work, Austin, TX
2012 Darke Gallery, Paper Work, Houston, TX
2011 Texas Women?s University, Denton, TX
2011 Houston Fine Art Fair, Solo Booth, Darke Gallery, Houston, TX
2011 College of the Mainland, Texas City, TX
2011 “Once Upsonse a Time in the Land of O-Poppida” Darke Gallery, Houston, TX
2010 “Lookie!” Bosque Gallery, Lone Star College Cy-Fair, Houston, TX
2010 G-Trinity Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2010 The Art Institute of Houston, Houston, TX
2009 G-Trinity Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2008 “Beam Me Up” New Gallery/Thom Andriola, Houston, TX
2008 Houston Center for Contemporary Craft-Artist Hall, Houston, TX
2007 “The Show Must Go On!” New Gallery/Thom Andriola, Houston, TX
2006 “World of Whimsy” North Harris County College, Houston, TX
2005 “Funner” New Gallery/Thom Andriola, Houston, TX
2004 “Trees and Other Places” ArtHouston, New Gallery/Thom Andriola, Houston, TX
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS:
2012 Darke Gallery, Paper Work, Houston, TX
2011 Texan-French Alliance for the Arts, Art Award & Auction, Houston, TX
2010 “Material & Structure” PG Contemporary, Houston, TX, Curator: Zoya Tommy
2009 “Texas Anti-Matter” The University of Texas Permian Basin, Odessa, TX, Curator: Wayne Gilbert
2008 “Texas Twang SHIFT” Seattle, WA, Curator: Wayne Gilbert
2008 “Flicker Fusion” DiverseWorks, Houston, TX, Curator: Diane Barber
2007 “Ladies Night Out” G Gallery, Houston, TX, Curator: Wayne Gilbert
2007 “Collage” Williams Tower Gallery, Curator: Sally Sprout, Houston, TX
2006 “Sculpture Vision” North Harris County College, Houston, TX
2004 Arcaute Arte Contempor?neo, Monterey, Mexico
2003 Mari Omori, Josefina M.T. Posch, Wendy Wagner, The Art League of Houston, Houston, TX
2000 ?A Common Bond? Williams Tower Gallery, Houston, TX, Curator: Sally Sprout
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Anspon, Catherine. ArtNotes with feature image, PaperCity Magazine, May 2011
Schulze, Troy. Capsule Reivew, Houston Press, May 2011
Alvarez, Olivia. Top Weekly Picks, Houston Press, May 2011
Wozny, Nancy. Top Weekly Picks, CultureMap, June 2011
Wozny, Nancy, ?Art is Funny: The Houston works that provide giggle fits?, CultureMap, 2011
?That?s Clever?, HGTV, 2010
Artwork Cover Image, PaperCity Magazine, July 2009
International Herald Tribune, The Asahi Shimbun, Japan, June 2009
Mainichi Shimbun, Japan, June 2009
Akasaka Keizai, Japan, June 2009
Ponto, Michelle. ?Goodbye Hello Kitty; Houston?s Wendy Wagner is going to Japan?, KHOU, June 2009
Roman, Anna. ?The Artistic Impressions of Wendy Wagner?, OnlyinKaty.com, June 2009
Britt, Douglas. ?Artist inspired by pet dogs?, The Houston Chronicle, Jan 2009
Wozny, Nancy ?Feature, Deconstructing Dreams, Wendy Wagner?, Cover, ArtsHouston, Jan 2009
?Great Day Houston?, KHOU, Dec 2008
Vuong, Mary. ?Artist does something Qwerky?, The Houston Chronicle, Dec 2008
Art in America, June 2008
www.ToonBoom.com, User Story, June 2008
Britt, Douglas. ?Houston’s Wagner wins top honor?, The Houston Chronicle, May 2008
Britt, Douglas. ?Art gallery shows entice, surprise, provoke thought?,
The Houston Chronicle, February 2008
Wozny, Nancy. ArtsHouston, February 2008
Anderson, Virginia. Glasstire, January 2008
Schulze, Troy. ?Flock to Flicker Fusion?, Houston Press, January 2008
Anderson, Virginia Billeaud. ?Flicker Fusion at DiverseWorks?, Glasstire, January 2008
002 Magazine, December Cover Winner 2007
Wozny, Nancy. ArtsHouston, May 2007
Ludwin, Tori. ?Tootie Tickle Talks Tonite?, www.houstonist.com, April 2007
www.artistaday.com, April 2007
www.ToonBoom.com, User Story, December 2006
?What?s in Store?, Continental Airlines (In Flight Video), November 2006
Moloney, Tim. ?For Art?s Sake?, 002 Magazine, January 2006
?In the Spotlight?, www.spacetaker.org, December 2005
Ray, Lisa. ArtsHouston, December 2005
Polgar, Robi. ?New American Talent-The 19th Exhibition?, Austin Chronicle, August 2004
Johnson, Patricia C. ?Texas Artists Stand Out?, Houston Chronicle, November 2003
New American Paintings, The Open Studios Press 2003 Western Edition,
Volume 48, Juror: Beth Venn, Independent Curator , New York, NY, November 2003
Simon, Lisa. This Week?s Day-by-Day Picks, Houston Press, December 2003
Press Picks, Houston Press, October 1996
