Wendi Harford ///
Born ///
Queens, NY
Blue Silo Artist ///
Since 2003
Education ///
• BFA, University of Denver, Denver, CO
•Independent Studies, School of Visual Arts, New York, NY
Medium ///
Mixed Media, Painting, Drawing, Printing
Studio #205 is where Wendi has been making her mural-sized paintings for well over a decade. Large scale pieces lean gently on two walls as you enter her space. Looking out toward the middle of this second-floor studio, the paintings tower over her stature when she walks up to them. On the opposite wall sit stylish pieces of mid-modern furniture, including a 60’s style couch for relaxing and the occasional contemplation of the art. Other areas are set up with shelves containing tools one would need to build just about anything. A bright yellow scaffolding stands in front of two unfinished Red and Blue paintings. Wendi climbs on the scaffolding so she can reach the highest corners of these monumental abstractions and begins drawing squiggles at the very top of these mural-like paintings. Her mark-making is reminiscent of street-art and mimics the patterns and expressive lines of illegible tagging found on many city walls. Yet she brings a level of sophistication to her organic shapes and overall composition. It feels like Wendi often relies on intuition, as she thinks about what will work with previously placed marks. After so many years of making art for a living, she seems to keep her approach fresh and honest. Though her work is abstractly simple, there’s a complex and skilled nature to Wendi’s art form. She uses a variety of subtle color transitions and linear changes that float over one another to create spaces of atmosphere that take you deeper inside her paintings. She builds her canvases herself. You might occasionally find her in the common area stretching a large canvas before taking it back to her studio to start her rigorous painting process all over again.
Twist and Bout ///
Medium /// Acrylic on Canvas, 84 x 57 in.
Collection /// The Artist