About Wendy, a.k.a. Willa Wanders
Hi! I’m Wendy Solganik.
I make a lot of art.
I was always a creative person and a maker, but I didn't always understand that I needed to honor those needs. Ignoring this within myself ended up making me physically ill, and my body made it impossible to ignore. But it took me decades to understand my callings. I studied economics in college and I even have a law degree, but I could not resist the urge to be a maker for very long and by the time I was 22, I knew that I would never practice law and that I had to study art and craft and create daily.
I was a full-time production potter in my mid to late 20s and the co-owner/creative director for a successful high-end invitation and social stationery company in my 30s and 40s. I have formally studied painting, drawing, lettering and design. I’ve taken countless live and online art classes. I’ve been an obsessed knitter, scrapbooker, calligrapher, bullet journaler and watercolor painter. If I’m interested in something, I just go for it!
For what it's worth, I don't see finished art pieces in my mind and then try to bring them to life on a canvas. Realistic drawing is kind of difficult for me, although I can do it with lots of practice and attention, but I don't even try anymore because . . . I just want to do what is fun for ME. I don't care if the outcome is valuable or nice to look at by anyone else.
Today I paint, create mixed media art and collage, and create handmade books because I like the way I feel when the glue stick glides along the back of a piece of collage fodder, the way the paintbrush feels when I smoosh it around in the paint, and the surprise I get when my color mix is revealed on the paper. I love to collect art supplies and organize them just so in my little home studio.
Creating is something I do for me, which, after a lifetime of people pleasing, feels really darned great.
It is my mission to remind you that playing in art is important and infinitely valuable, and that it can be the end goal. We don’t all need to exhibit in galleries or sell our works in order to justify the time and resources we spend creating. Collecting materials, learning processes, challenging our creative minds and releasing stress as we make art is enough-if it’s enough for YOU.
You deserve to be happy, relaxed and fulfilled.
Most women are spending an inordinate amount of their time (this is my guess) pursuing things that have nothing to do with their own fulfillment. They are spending their time doing things that they believe they need to do in order to be loved, because society tells them that they should be and look a certain way in order to be loved. And it’s so untrue.
I teach mixed media art processes and techniques, watercolor painting and handmade book arts, because I have more than enough enthusiasm for these subjects to fuel a small country. I sell custom handmade books, aka “Willa Journals,” that I create for clients. These days, I am passionate about not only making the art, but also developing educational and inspiring online classes that you will fall in love with.
Always remember, you simply don't need any other reason to create other than it feels good in your body and in your mind.
Buy the paint. Make the Art. That’s the Point.
Xoxo,
WenDy
“I was born to do what I’m doing. I was born to share art with other humans, to share making things with them, and to share the experience and the joy of it.”
—Wendy Solganik