We were lucky to catch up with Winn Wright recently and have shared our conversation below.

Winn, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I’m lucky. I have always known I would be an artist. I was always the kid that was drawing. In elementary school I would draw other student’s names in a fancy, made-up type style and sell them for a penny a letter. In high school I took every art class at least twice, even the engineering drawing classes. During 11th-12th grades I was able to go to the local vocation school for half of my school day. I took graphic art classes there and learned to do everything, from concepts to printing the final product. The summer I graduated I decided to find an art school for college. I went to the library and looked up every art school in Florida. I decided on the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale for graphic arts. It was an awesome experience for me. I also started doing fine art because of the classes that were offered. Once I graduated, I worked in my field for many years and did my fine art at night. Once I started freelancing I had more time to work on my illustrations and paintings.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I started creating in a surreal style in the 90s. I was doing portrait work before that and really just got tired of having to be so precise and photo realistic. I switched up my process and started by taking doodles I had in my sketchbooks and working them into finished products. I produced a lot of oil paintings and really enjoyed the freedom of surrealism. I don’t think about what I’m going to do beforehand. I just start drawing and see where it goes.

In 2009 I found a 6×6 inch sketchbook at an art store and loved the paper and square shape. I then began to fill these books using a rapidograph technical pen which produces a nice line in ink. If I see an image in the picture, I may push the image in a certain direction, otherwise it’s all free flow drawings. I would look through all these drawings and decide which ones I wanted to take further and add color to those. I am now on my 27th sketchbook and have produced hundreds of finished pieces, mostly in ink and oil pencils.

I sell through galleries and online through different social platforms. The thing I’m most proud of is I have a unique style and never changed my style under the pressure to do just pretty pictures. In 2017 I teamed up with Cori Derfus to ink and provide layout and design for Cori’s creations which became an illustration partnership of Furbeast Forest. Through Furbeast Forest we have produced multiple books and tons of awesome characters together.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I really enjoy the process of creating a piece of art no matter the medium. There is this very satisfying feeling completing a piece and just sitting back and viewing this art that came from nothing.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

In my opinion, especially in the early days, artists need more art classes in school. My experience with only having a few art classes really left me wishing I had more training before college so I could have been better prepared. I also believe our society needs to encourage artists to develop their own style, and not have only a drive for chasing the money. I think providing children the opportunities and tools to explore music, art, writing, dance, or whatever their interests are, opens up opportunities they would not otherwise know existed. When my sons showed an interest in art or music, providing them with classes and tools allowed them to explore if this was something they wanted to continue and their experiences enriched their lives even if they didn’t continue with it. As artists age, supports could be community programs and resources to support individuals and provide training and direction, inspiration, and mentorship.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.bluedewstudio.com
• Instagram: @winnman
• Twitter: @winnmanthehead
• Other: Popshop Live https://link.popshop.live/K9GZ

Image Credits
Winn Wright