Tick, tick, tick. Joni Wildman, a Brooklyn-based artist, imbues her work with the relentless urgency of time slipping away. Her latest series, “RUN!”, is a dynamic collection of over forty pieces that capture animals in the throes of movement—mid-run, flight, gallop, swim—each one embarked on a journey to an unknown destination, adorned with the random objects they’ve encountered along the way. These vibrant, large-scale creations pulse with a sense of momentum and unyielding drive.
Wildman’s chosen mediums of gouache and oil paint on Yupo paper enable a striking level of detail and vibrancy. She meticulously cuts the Yupo paper to follow the contours of her animal subjects, enhancing the sense of fluidity and motion. Her process is labour-intensive, beginning with detailed preliminary sketches and underpaintings before she adds the hyper-realistic details. The intricate rendering of elements, such as a single flower, can consume hours, reflecting Wildman’s dedication to her craft.
Her artistic process, however, is not confined to rigid planning. Wildman embraces spontaneity, welcoming accidents as serendipitous opportunities for inspiration. This organic approach infuses her work with an element of unpredictability, where mistakes transform into creative possibilities.
Wildman’s art is also infused with playful, tongue-in-cheek humour. She juxtaposes weighty themes with whimsical, often absurd, imagery. In one piece, the concept of whistleblowing is humorously depicted by a mouse soaring through the air, propelled by an aeroplane’s wings, clutching a whistle in its mouth and trailing firecrackers from its paws. The sensation of being overwhelmed is comically portrayed in a painting of a muzzled bear fleeing from a school of salmon, his usual prey. Another work features an emu donning an army helmet and wielding a massive bazooka, a nod to the infamous Australian Emu Wars.
Wildman’s blend of humour and gravity creates a multi-layered experience, offering both immediate visual pleasure and deeper contemplative engagement. Her sweet and salty mix of fun and seriousness keeps viewers guessing, thinking, and perpetually chasing after the deeper meanings embedded within her artmaking
Enjoy this gallery of Joni Wildman’s work:
