Featured Artist Alicia Wishart

Canadian artist Alicia Wishart’s portfolio is filled with colorful, delightful animals. Enjoy her work and visit her website for more information on this talented painter.

 

Painting of a baboon "Charlie" by Alicia Wishart

 

What inspires you?

Inspire is a word that is hard for me because I usually associate it with an Oprah moment kind of thing. For me, I’d rather say I paint what makes me happy. I love animals and have used them as my primary source of subject matter since I can remember. How I choose what animal I paint usually comes down to what makes me giddy with delight. Maybe it’s because they are super cute, have neat colours or a silly expression to them.

 

Elephant portrait "Midnight Savanna" by artist Alicia Wishart

 

I also paint ones that are just odd and fascinating like platypus or anteaters. The only ones I’m not keen on painting unless by commission are the usual tigers, wolves, eagles etc. My motto is “If I can find it on a Harley Davidson shirt, then I don’t want to paint it”. Those animals have been done, long live the meerkat!

 

portrait of otters "You Otter Be in Pictures" by Alicia Wishart

 

For my unique colour, my inspiration comes from cartoons. Bugs Bunny cartoons, expecially Chuck Jones ones were huge influences in my life. When Ren & Stimpy came out and I saw all those fabulous backgrounds and colours by Bill Wray, I was in love. My style comes from a fusion of realism and cartoons and my own personal quirkiness.

 

chameleon painting "Inconspicuous" by Alicia Wishart

 

What are you working on now?

Currently I’m getting ready for the summer festival season so I’ve been painting lots. I started a chimp today and finished an octopus the other day. I have a few all drawn out and ready to go. A whale shark, cassawary, hippo, flamingo, and a few others I can’t even remember right now. When I’m not painting I’ve been making art cards, doing website stuff and working on my Etsy store. There’s never any shortage of things to do.

 

platypus portrait "Spare Parts" by artist Alicia Wishart
What are your goals?

My ultimate goals are to travel to places where I can see the critters first hand and not just at the zoo. I would love to get an art publishing deal so that I could get more exposure to my art in places that I might not be able to access on my own. I also want to make an animal alphabet book and bring my t-shirt designs to light.

 

Giraffe portrait "Peanut" by artist Alicia Wishart

Comments

  1. Alison Lynch says

    I love Alicia’s work – they are stunning when you see them up close.

  2. Such a great artist and person, her artwork is amazing and worthy of being featured!!

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