“I believe that just as all things in the human body are connected and assist each other physically and spiritually, so too does everything in the universe. I see my work as expressing spiritual emotions about this inter-connectedness. We all have physical, emotional, mental and spiritual parts to us, and I try to engage all of these elements while doing a piece of art.”
In his senior year at high school, Wilson’s interest in art came into full bloom. During the summer between his junior and senior years, Wilson worked as a busboy at a dining hall in Harpswell, Maine. While there, he took lessons with his father’s cousin-in-law, well-known Maine artist Stephen Etnier. There he first learned how to oil paint. After graduating from high school, Wilson became an art major at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. During his studies there, a professor, Gerard Haggerty, encouraged him to attend as many art programs as he could to gain exposure to a variety of artists and teachers.
Wilson’s work has shifted significantly since those early years, taking inspiration over time from a variety of artists, styles, and movements, from the Renaissance to Expressionism, Impressionism, Modernism, and Abstraction, while incorporating elements from traditional Korean, North West Native American, and Australian Aboriginal art.
When Wilson isn’t in his studio, he’s often writing. The artist has produced a large body of poetry and has also written articles for local newspapers. He still enjoys a good game of tennis.Along with the love of art itself, which has motivated him since he was a teenager, Wilson has also been driven by his personal spiritual path.
“I see all walks of life being from one source, just as everything in this physical world gets its illumination from the same sun. When I went to Parsons from 1988-1990, Leland Bell taught me how to put spirit and sincerity into art. I also strive to create art that is exciting and mysterious and brings a sense of wonder, joy, happiness, and mystery into people’s lives.”
