We recently connected with Bex Wilkinson and have shared our conversation below.

Bex , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I had studied art in my younger years. I worked on being a painter after graduating from Sarah Lawrence College. I lived in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and had a studio in an artist’s cooperative called “The Button Factory.” These were mostly people working in a creative profession. From there I went to study as an adjunct student to increase my technical skills at both The Art Institute of Chicago and Rhode Island School of Design. When I was 25 years old, I decided that I was going to give up painting and pursue psychology. I got a Master’s in Counseling Psychology from Antioch Graduate School.

Fast forward 20 years. I had been working in film, was a mother, was divorced and was living with the love of my life. On August 30th, 2016, he shot himself in what was part of our garage. This plunged me into shock and trauma to say the least. I found that I was not able to be around every day activities and people. It had been over 20 years that I had painted, but strangely could not leave the space in which he took his life. I started painting- a small painting describing the complicated situation he had dealt with around “Gauche’s Disease”- a rare blood disease. This small painting turned into a years’ worth of work making a full art installation in the garage. Off canvas, on canvas, multi-media. After a year, I held a “Letting Go Ceremony” where I invited other artists and musicians into the space. Over a huge bon fire we all “let something go” in our intentions- I burned most of the art from that year and painted the walls white following the ritual. I never stopped painting. That was over six years ago.

I now show nationally and internationally with several galleries around the globe.

Bex , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

As explained in the last question. It was a traumatic event that led me back to my painting. I didn’t chose art, it chose me. It was a parachute into safety from what I deciphered as a cruel and unjust world. My creative process saved me from madness. I was able to channel my deepest emotions on to the canvas- or whatever medium I was working on. I do mixed media and have dabbled in fusing glass and stained glass.

After working on my own for three years, I realized that this work was not just for me- not just a cathartic expression. I wanted to send my work into the world to see if it resonated with others. It was then that I applied to galleries. I found a gallery that was willing to give me a group show. The pandemic hit. So my first show was in NYC in April of 2020. Times Square was a ghost town. The people who came to the show were required to wear masks and socially distance. The vaccines had JUST become available. The world was in a strange and foreign place. I do believe that my artwork (because of my personal grief) started to resonate with others who were also suffering. The world’s misfortune became, in a sense, a calling card for my personal journey through loss. I sold two paintings that first show to collectors. One was called “Pandemic”- the other was “Love is Bullshit.” Others resonated with my cynical and hurt message.

Since then, I have been selling directly from my studio and globally. I have had the very good fortune to meet gallerists around the world who have taken my work- as now the world was in a global pandemic. The images of angst, fear, upset, confusion, that fueled my art were now generally felt by every person on the planet. They had either lost someone, or lost something (a job,) or had their own struggles with health and welfare.

I don’t mean to nor do I want to wallow in pain. But my work started to become of reflection of what I see as the irony of modern day society. The overconsumption and feed of advertisements against a background of conflicting messages about wealth, health and general well-being. This was also Trumps era and things were falling apart in our democratic institutions. (Insurrection)

The planet was/is screaming out for help. Climate change, transgender movement, #metoo, Roe vs. Wade being overturned, Putin’s war on Ukraine, and an American society shriveling potential human rights fueled my angst and creativity. Occasionally, I break out of the collective message and make images of peace- but it is rare. Obsessed by the under currents of modern day society I hope to reach an audience that “gets it.” And feels the same. A resonance of discontent that could fuel political and personal action towards change for the better.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had given up on being an artist when I was 25 years old. I threw in the towel and went to graduate school. I literally burned most of my art that I had created in a large bon-fire. (Seems I enjoy burning my artwork! LOL!)

6 years ago, when I threw myself into the throws of creating again, I had to undo the narrative that I had “given up being an artist.” At the ripe old age of 51 years old, I STARTED my new career. While most people were looking to retire, I was (and am) just getting started.

If you are a creative person and life interrupts that with the need to nurture a family, or work- or both! Please realize that your creative self will NEVER disappear. It is always there. And in a time of crisis, I was able to tap into it on a deep level. It saved my life quite frankly. Now it is my life.

How did you build your audience on social media?

In terms of becoming a professional artist, it is of utmost importance that you are able to market your work. Even if it is, like mine, edgy. To not make an effort to reach audiences is mental masterbation. There are so many artists who poo-poo the idea of marketing their own work and feel like it is lesser than them to do so. It is quite the opposite.

Being a creative is a highly competitive field and I immediately realized I could not market my work on my own. I hired a young friend of mine who understood how to work in the social media spectrum. He is familiar with Squarespace, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and has a strong background in graphic design. He helped me to create a “Brand” of sorts. This is not a sell-out. This is the only way one can exist successfully in a global market.

With NFT’s and the Metaverse it is essential that artists (particularly over 50) have representation on a digital platform. I truly believe you will be left in the dust if you do not understand these basic tools.

I have met artists my age who feel they don’t need to have a website or professionally photograph their work. I say to them, “If you don’t care about your work, why would anybody else?” Your work is your profession and I feel it is very important to present yourself as well as you can if you want to reach a wider audience.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.bexwilkinson.com
• Instagram: Bex_wilkinson_art
• Facebook: Bex Wilkinson Art
• Other: [email protected]

Image Credits
All photographs by Daniel Leeds @ HIMcreative