Meet Will Wooten | Multimedia Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Will Wooten and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Will, why did you pursue a creative career?
The best way I can explain is that art has always been here for me, through thick and thin. It made the most sense for me to create a lifestyle from.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am a sponge – proverbially, of course. I absorb information from my experiences with people, places and things and keep them in my own well of inspiration. When the well fills, and I, the sponge, need to be wrung out, the resulting product is my art. That stated, my painting habits don’t necessitate an eruption of pigment and brush strokes. There is a very technical side to my work, which comes from my experiences with illustration and graffiti. Patience is key, as there is a lot of carefully-wrought, precise detail to be found in my drawings, as well as my oil paintings. My goal is to capture the viewer’s attention from a distance, from, say, the entrance of the gallery with a larger image that may be static in form, but is also strikingly curious. As one approaches the canvas, however, the eyes are treated to a maze of small details that opens up and helps guide them over and across the surface. I guess you could say I’m all about charging my works with a certain ‘wow’ factor, though it’s both a blessing and a curse. Because of the fine detail work, it sometimes takes me years of intermittent sessions to make progress on a single painting, but once the piece is finalized and looks amazing, it justifies the time put into it as well worthwhile.

As far as my journey goes, my mother never failed to encourage creativity in our household. I had access to a wide variety of tools and mediums lying around the house to draw and make sculptures with, as well as book sets full of DIY art projects that helped me understand the rudimentary elements of art making. Having the basics established early on allowed me to focus on the development of my own style years later.

I had such a fascination with illustration that I regularly replicated (not traced) cartoon and comic book characters. People always used to tell me, “One day you’ll be working at Disney”, and although I appreciated the sentiment, I unfortunately never attributed much value to my own skills beyond a means to kill time or relieve stress by; certainly not in any capacity to run my personal renditions across any hiring manager’s desk for an job in animation. I may have been selling myself short, as I drew solely for my own entertainment. But I digress. In high school, I began combining my childhood inspirations with my newfound interests in skate and graffiti culture. This is when I began creating my own designs and characters, and surely contributes to my composing of more striking, singular images, and less on settings and background as seen in my current work.

It wasn’t until my late twenties while I was working as a temp in the commercial real estate branch of a major bank in Portland, Oregon, however, that I had my moment of clarity. While I was tasked with the creatively sterile process of updating a never-ending stream of outdated business loan portfolios, I spent every spare moment I could sketching all over the office stationary, treating post-it notes and legal pads in much the same manner I would fill my old school notebooks during lecture classes. I had a realization that my urge to create isn’t necessarily a function that can be manipulated on or off like a light switch, but is more of a flow. Sometimes it’s a trickle, and sometimes it gushes, but regardless of how it flows, I need to be in an environment with the tools necessary that allow the best means for immediate expression.

I’d be remiss not to commend my time in Portland. Residing among a thriving community rich in artists, galleries and open studio events opened my eyes to a broader understanding of the operating art world and helped me realize the potential in my own work; so much so, that upon my newfound awareness, I promptly left my temp position at the bank and enrolled in Portland State University’s Drawing, Painting and Printmaking program, eventually graduating with a Bachelor’s degree. Although proper schooling is not a vital step in an artist’s journey, and some even scoff at the notion, my purpose was to brush up on what I already knew, as well as learn more of what I did not. Doing so resulted in discovering my love for oil painting and graphic design.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
There is definitely a vibe here in Albuquerque. We have our own unique cuisine, traditions, and culture. Even though we are surrounded by the sands of the high desert, there is still plenty to be seen. One of the attractions that would be sure to be in the itinerary is a trip up to Sandia Crest via the tram. The view is spectacular at any time of the year, but is especially striking during the spring and autumn seasons. Also dependent on the time of visitation, the first Friday of every month hosts the massive ABQ Artwalk, which is packed with local artisan vendors, musicians, performers, and fantastic food. Speaking of food, The Frontier has, for decades, remained the steadfast go-to for good and fast New Mexican food. Situated across from the UNM campus, you can’t go wrong with a vegetarian burrito plate with a side order of western style hash browns and fresh orange juice to wash it all down with. Or, perhaps a bit of variety is in order, and we’d hit up the Green Jeans Farmery complex created out of strategically stacked shipping containers that house a selection of local food merchants. Similarly, Sawmill Market, 505 Central Food Hall and Tin Can Alley provide a variety of foods and brews that are sure to please a wandering palate.

A visit to New Mexico wouldn’t be complete without a trip to Meow Wolf Santa Fe for a mind-bending day spent immersed within the House of Eternal Returns. If it’s outdoor activity my friend is seeking, then we could always take a short trip up to the Jemez Mountains in northwest New Mexico for a natural recharge. Other possible destinations are White Sands National Park, Carlsbad Caverns, or Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument for a hike through amazing natural formations.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have to give a shoutout first and foremost to my mother. If it wasn’t for her nurturing of my creative pursuits, or any of my pursuits for that matter, I’d be far removed from the artist and person I am today. My sister deserves a shout for her eccentric style, sense of humor and support. My cousin Matt and his family also provided a wealth of artistic activity when we were younger, and his imagination always inspired my own. While mom was at work, my aunt would babysit me and my sister. He and his father collected comic books, so we would always have access to these packets of amazing visual storytelling to pull ideas from. Shoutout to them. Next, I want to shoutout my Albuquerque artist circle and fellow peers. I am fortunate to occupy the same space and time in this universe with you all. You keep hustling, and it encourages me to keep hustling, so thank you. Caitlin Padilla, my pARTner in crime. She is my best art bud and business partner in Pigment Pushers painting workshops. She is always inspirational while blazing her own trail. Last, but not least, the love of my life, my wife and best friend, Alisha Wilson. From Portland back to Albuquerque, she has been “ride-or-die” by my side every mile of my professional artist journey, and I wouldn’t want anyone else in the passenger seat.

Website: www.willwootenart.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/willwootenart

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/william-wooten-6a215233

Twitter: www.twitter.com/willwootenart

Facebook: www.facebook.com/willwootenart

Youtube: www.youtube.com/WillWootenArtStudio

Other: www.tiktok.com/@willwootenart willwootenart@gmail.com
Pigment Pushers: www.pigmentpushers.com www.instagram.com/pigmentpushers505 www.facebook.com/pigmentpushers505 pigmentpushers505@gmail.com

Image Credits
All images are property of Will Wooten and Will Wooten Art