CHAD WILSON
Born 1979 in Riverdale, Georgia, USA
Lives and works in Morrow, Georgia, USA
EDUCATION
2002 A.A. Graphic Design
EXHIBITIONS (GROUP)
2024, March 16
Plein Air Art Event at Lockerly Arboretum –
Allied Arts, Milledgeville GA
2024, March 1-21
Teaser Exhibit –
Allied Arts, Milledgeville GA
2023 Down the Rabbit Hole Art Exhibit –
Sudnat Studios & Red Hare, Marietta GA
2023 Little Candler Spring Fling –
mariemarie salon, Atlanta GA
MEMBERSHIPS
Americans for the Arts – Art Action Fund
BIOGRAPHY
Chad Wilson, an Atlanta based traditional visual artist, has been drawing most of his life. Largely self taught, he took as many art and art based classes in school as were offered, and earned a Degree in Graphic Design. For decades, he worked unrelated jobs, and created print media and websites on the side as a necessity. However, a most inconvenient pandemic was the catylist to a personal renaissance. Favoring portraiture, he incorporates modern themes in the ways of the masters of old. Chad primarily uses gouache, watercolor, and acrylic paints on various papers, canvases, and boards to create his paintings. His work is collected by various private collectors in Georgia, Florida, and North Carolina, USA.
STATEMENT
Since 2021, my work has been a transition to what makes me happy personally and artistically, after years of producing out of necessity.
The first and last time I painted was as a senior in high school, and I always wanted to come back to it. I create art because I appreciate and enjoy art and its history. I love being surrounded by original art. I love holding and examining original art. I enjoy the artistic process, but for me completing the project is where my success and satisfaction lies. My art is an ongoing personal exercise in simplification and problem solving. I find inspiration in the Dutch portrait painters of the 1400’s, as well as the “modern” art and illustrations of the early 1900’s. I am constantly studying the old masters as well as contemporary artists. I am also inspired by underground music and movies. I am compelled to be more satisfied in my next piece than the last. I am always learning, and I constantly strive to more accurately create my visions.
Typically, I use gouache, watercolor, and acrylic paints on a variety of papers, canvases, and boards. My style is limited, minimal, and dark. I create modern imagery that feels familiar and old. I enjoy the work and styles of artists such as Piet Mondrian, Egon Schiele, Jan van Eyck, J.C. Leyendecker, Basil Gogos, and Nicolai Fechin.
Most of my work is literal and lacks symbolism. I simply create what I want to see.
The only thing that an old man can tell a young man is that it goes fast, REAL fast, and, if you’re not careful, it’s too late. Of course, the young man will never understand this truth.
—Norm MacDonald