Interview
John Wendling
John became instantly captivated with art at a young age when he would watch his mother’s paintbrushes form Hawaiian landscapes and portraits of local people. John was born into a naval family in Washington State and moved around to various parts of the United States and Asia where he was exposed to different cultures, people, and scenery. He attended private schools in Hawaii and Taiwan, and that is where he first began to learn the art of drawing from fellow skilled classmates.
John eventually settled in Southern California to obtain his master’s degree and that is where he started painting reflections of his experiences. He later married and moved to Canada where he taught in a small village. This gave him time to sharpened his artistic skills by rendering peaceful landscapes and local figures.
Inspired by his journeys, he eventually returned to the United States and was ready to expand his study of art. He refined his techniques by attending Utah colleges and with art schools with Tony Ryder, Kamille Corry, Daniel Garhartz , and John Hughes . He used his found knowledge teach art in public schools. Traveling extensively in Europe, he has learned much from the works in famous art museums. John currently lives in Utah with his wife and devotes his time to painting people and places. His work has been exhibited in galleries and art shows throughout Utah, plus Texas gallery and in places in Europe. He is a member of the Intermountain Society of Artists and is on the committee for arranging shows. John is also part of Midway Art Association and has participated in various competition events.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“John Wendling was able to experience different world cultures and artistic styles. Moving about was commonplace for him since his father was in the Navy. As a young boy living in Hawaii, he would watch his mother paint landscape scenes and was sometimes given chances to make his mark on the canvas. In Taiwan, he encountered Chinese students with artistic skills down to a “science” who offered to help him withdraw. He loved to draw people. He walked out one college day with a large canvas and art supplies. Determined to learn painting, he plunged into doing people and nature scenes from various photos he could find. It wasn’t until a few years later that he began to meet other artists and learn the fine art of oil painting from them. Through the instruction of art professors and professional artist workshops in figurative art and landscapes, he began honing his artistic skills.”
What inspires you as an artist?
“Travel inspires him to broaden his view on people’s lives and changes in scenery. Nothing is more intriguing than nature showing off its best with a person/people melting into the scene. We are always drawn to the human face and to dramatic colors in natures. What would be more captivating than to have them in combination.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“John tends to look to quiet, “ romantic” scenes that have an intriguing figure combination which tell an underlying story. He believes that light of a person and of nature can move us to a quiet, peaceful place.”
How would you describe your work?
“John’s main interests is to chase the “light”. In his expression of representational art, he searches to guide the viewer to the focus of the painting by having contrasts between light and shadow. He breathes life into his subjects by painting a glow about them that sends a message of who they are. He tries to incorporate scenic backgrounds to enhance the overall mood of the painting while working in oils.”
“My art is a way to communicate with my subconscious. I let my hand speak for itself, and once I finish a painting, I introspect on what I was trying to tell myself. Painting is speaking from the heart to help the brain understand.”
Which artist are you most influenced by?
“He was greatly influence by discovering the works of J.W. Waterhouse and his painting of the LADY OF SHALOTT. His master placement of light sources captivates and keeps you moving throughout the art.
Studying with artist Anthony Ryder in his Santa Fe art school brought new painting skills on how to direct the light across the human face using life models.
But John has always been intrigued by the artists, such as Joaquin Sorolla, who combine the use of backgrounds of mood with a glow of light on a person or people. Daniel Garhartz of Wisconsin is also such an artist. Studying his techniques in developing a painting through workshops and instructional videos, brought a deeper understand of what captivates people to be drawn to certain works of art.”
Take us through your creative process. What’s it like?
“When I am out an about, I am always observing how nature’s light affects the changes in mood on the ground below. Then I mentally put that in my artistic memory bank to be use for possible future compositions. The same goes for when I am out in the public. I am mentally recording the styles of clothing worn, their facial features, how they hold themselves and their overall aura about them. I am trying to imagine what that kind of person would look like in a certain scenery. I am drawn in by color.
For example, after visiting the grounds of Versailles I visualized elegant ladies walking the grounds and butterflies flittering about. Thus at home in Utah, I found a French style restuarant grounds and sat up a model with a butterfly in hand near a fountain.
I like to start a painting sometimes by doing studies in dry medium to work out what looks best for the focal point, canvas size and placement of objects. As I transfer my idea to canvas, I also looking at the color wheel combinations and the general layout of the composition. I lay in my transparent darks(shadows) FIRST and then the “lights” . As I progress in the composition, I am always checking how light or dark is the color I am laying in against the darks and “lights”.
I take breaks and step away from the work for a while and then come back with a fresh “eye” to see what needs to be adjusted. I look for contrasts in color, lines, edges and value. Have they complemented the piece?”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“Artists should be reflecting the mood of society in retrospect of its trends and/ or injustices. A good example of this were the mural artists that gave voice to their beliefs in THE BLACK LIVES MATTER marches. The public could see in a large way that society’s views had to change. In the case of the artist Bansky, where his art on public place displayed the unrest that need change in British society and maybe even the world.
Artists down through the centuries have stood out against society wrongs and recorded their voices in a historical context through paintings and sculptures. As the digital age grows, we may see more of this artistic expression but with AI art and digitally produced compositions. Artists can then launch their works across the internet and bypass the standard displays such as galleries. ”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“I attended an International Exhibition in 2016 at the Janette Kennedy Gallery in Dallas, Texas. Artist from different parts of the country and outside of the U.S. were invited. Many of the art works were figurative ranging from impressionist to realism. The piece I brought to the “table” was a composition entitled WITH ATTITUDE with a lady carrying her shoes and suitcase while walking barefoot into a colorful abstract background.
Also in 2016, a call for artists to paint an eventful memory of their childhood at the Sears Gallery in St. George, UT. For this event, I entered a scene of children swinging on a rope into a river entitled SUMMER FUN.
Bella Muse Gallery in Ogden, UT in 2018 opened a show to the works of Utah artist. Those artist ranged from landscape to figurative works. A reception was well attended with clients from the local areas as well as California visitors to Utah.
Midway Paradise Pleine Aire/Midway Gallery event in 2019/2021 was the largest outdoor painting annual event in the West. Artist brought their studio pieces to be hung. For one week, artist roamed the countryside painting what they admired and returned to hang them into the gallery for sale. My painting of a French Cottage sold as well as homestead landscape scenes.”
