ABOUT THE ARTIST
CYNTHIA WHEELER ~ PAINTER & ILLUSTRATOR
I grew up in the mountains of North Carolina, near Asheville, on a mountaintop that overlooked the vibrant blues and greens of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I left the beauty of the high country when my professional journey as an artist began at Auburn University, where I earned a BFA in Graphic Arts. After graduating, I moved to New York City and spent the next two decades illustrating and writing children's books full-time for major publishers including Random House, Viking, Penguin, and Alfred A. Knopf. To view and learn about my acclaimed illustrations CLICK HERE.
In 2006, I traveled to South Africa and volunteered in Cape Town with Cheetah Outreach, a non-profit conservation organization. I returned to the United States with a profound appreciation, respect, and love for Africa - its people, animals, and art. Afterward, I lived in the Sierra Foothills of California and delighted in the light and color filled landscape of the West. In 2016 I returned to Asheville, North Carolina. I have now come full circle - with a fresh palette of colors and rich experiences to inspire my painting!
CAPTURING MOMENTS
My lifelong passion for light and landscapes - whether on the East Coast, West Coast, or in other parts of the world - stems from years of living closely with nature and experiencing its ever-changing palette of colors. This has blended with a deep affinity for transformational moments - those instants in time when the cast of the light, or tilt of an animals head, changes a moment from ordinary to extraordinary. I strive to capture those moments.
I capture moments with acrylics, oils, pastels and watercolors. I choose my painting medium on the basis of the moment I am depicting. Each medium has special characteristics, and I enjoy maximizing those qualities in my paintings in combination with the moment I am portraying.
All of my paintings are from my own photos. A large part of the inspiration for my paintings is determined by the composition, light, and color, captured in the moment - though elements can then be shifted around to achieve perfection!
My original paintings, and fine art prints on paper and canvas, are available at several GALLERIES in Asheville, North Carolina. You can also purchase my prints on the SHOP page of this website, or CONTACT ME to purchase original works.
