Being an artist, what does that mean?  To me, it means one who practices art.  I started drawing and painting when I was a kid, the only difference is I never stopped.  "All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he (or she!) grows up. ”-Pablo Picasso.  This quote pretty much describes how I feel about being an artist.  I never stopped practicing art because I couldn't stop.  It's like getting dressed; it's always a part of my day.

I was born in Miami in the 70's.  Life was easy back then.  We traveled a lot.  My parents loved to be on the move.  I spent my summers in Toronto, Canada with my sister and grandparents.  When I was 7, we moved to London, England for my father’s job.  My dad was busy with work, so my mom made sure that she, my sister and I saw every castle and traveled to all corners of the UK while we had the chance.  I loved all of it.  The history was incredible and the monuments and architecture are still etched in my brain.  When we came back to the States, we left the east coast and moved out to Newport Beach, California. 

Those years of growing up in Newport, in the heart of the surf culture of the 1980’s, was magical for me.  This time period was a huge influence on my style of art.  The primal designs and bright colors, that Peter Webb created for Quiksilver at that time was infectious.  It brought together all worlds for me, the art scene in NYC of Basquiat and Keith Haring, to the island beaches of exotic surf spots, that the international surf scene was circulating.  All of this was represented in the merchandise that Quiksilver and Peter Webb dropped right into our Gen X, surf grom laps.

After high school I studied, traveled and lived abroad.  Living in European cities (Paris, Florence, Cortona and Vienna) and studying the great masterpieces of art was beyond inspiring to me, while being completely immersed in the local culture.  After my travels abroad, I came home to the beaches of Southern California.   I graduated with a degree in Fine Arts from California State University, Long Beach.  Out of college, I went on to work in the music industry for about 10 years before starting my own business, Wendy Stillman Jewelry.  You can see my Jewelry in many women’s clothing boutiques across the country.  

I have continued to paint throughout my years of running my Jewelry company and being a busy mom of two. Locally in Manhattan Beach and the SouthBay, I am a member of The SouthBay Artist Collective and display my artwork permanently at Resin, a workspace gallery in Hermosa Beach.  I have also been privileged to teach art at the elementary level for the past 9 years through an amazing art program called Young at Art.

Wake, Make, Create and Repeat!

You can view more of Wendy’s Artwork on her Facebook page: WendyStillmanArt and her jewelry at www.wendystillman.com