Jeff Wheeler |
@jefwheel
|
"Bathers (Chillin' at the Swimhole)," acrylic, charcoal, and collage on paper, 13 1/2" x 23", $1,800.
"Chief Motel," acrylic, charcoal, and collage on paper, 27 1/2" x 31 1/4", $4,000
Abstract Collage #69, acrylic, charcoal, and collage on paper, 20" x 20", $1,800.
Jeff F. Wheeler has been a Texas artist and curator for over 20 years. He earned his MFA from Central Washington University and since then, has been featured in, and curated, over 250 exhibits including shows all over Texas as well as international exhibits in Peru, Germany, Italy, Croatia, and Greece. He is founder and co-curator of the infamous recurring Texas art and music hootenanny known as ULTERIOR MOTIFS, which has featured the work of Robert Rauschenberg, Ed and Nancy Kienholz, Trenton Doyle Hancock, James Surls, and many others. In 2010, Jeff was featured, along with his brother, in Catherine Anspon’s book, TEXAS ARTISTS TODAY. Wheeler was awarded the Dozier Travel Grant from the Dallas Museum of Art in 2010 and spent the summer in residency at the historic compound of Nancy Reddin Kienholz in Hope, Idaho. Known for his love of collaboration, he has collaborated with many of Texas’ best artists most notably, Daniel Johnston, James Surls, and Jack Massing among many others. Wheeler currently lives and works on the southside of San Antonio where he is director and curator of, SPACE C7, which focuses on showcasing Texas’ finest artists. He is represented by Koelsch Gallery in Houston and Ro2 Gallery in Dallas.
When I decided years ago that I was an artist, I knew that I wanted to create a life in which I could spend each day making something. I also knew that constant experimentation would be important. Thirty years later, that daily process of unfettered “serious play” in the studio comes with ease. It’s simply who I am.
A big part of my process is gathering. I gather things that inspire me. These include but are in now way limited to images from stories from the history of the American West and Art History, vintage frames and ledger paper, photographs of someone else’s forgotten memories, discarded ceramic forms, thrift store paintings, yearbooks, etc. If I find something interesting in the moment, I take it back to the studio, seldom knowing how it will end up being used. I like finding items and subjects that have outlived their usefulness, filtering through my studio, and then presenting them as shiny new objects to be collected and revered.
Most of the time, I begin with no preconceived idea or theme to follow. As much as possible, I allow my hand to follow the inspiration rather than lead or search for it. The results are several different genres all somehow linked by style. One moment I may allow myself to daydream of sitting in the hot tub with Cezanne’s bathers, and the next, I might be creating a heartfelt tribute to the late, great, John Lewis.
I act upon what moves me that moment.
A big part of my process is gathering. I gather things that inspire me. These include but are in now way limited to images from stories from the history of the American West and Art History, vintage frames and ledger paper, photographs of someone else’s forgotten memories, discarded ceramic forms, thrift store paintings, yearbooks, etc. If I find something interesting in the moment, I take it back to the studio, seldom knowing how it will end up being used. I like finding items and subjects that have outlived their usefulness, filtering through my studio, and then presenting them as shiny new objects to be collected and revered.
Most of the time, I begin with no preconceived idea or theme to follow. As much as possible, I allow my hand to follow the inspiration rather than lead or search for it. The results are several different genres all somehow linked by style. One moment I may allow myself to daydream of sitting in the hot tub with Cezanne’s bathers, and the next, I might be creating a heartfelt tribute to the late, great, John Lewis.
I act upon what moves me that moment.
