Wendy Born
Verona, NJ
Wendy Born is a NJ-based artist creating vibrant, textured paintings that reveal everyday beauty to foster appreciation, gratitude, and joy.
Message
Wendy studied fine art and illustration at Parsons, the School of Visual Arts, and The Art Students League. She thrived as a designer in the fashion industry and then channeled her skills into freelance illustration and eventually became a published children’s book artist known for her research-rich, detailed work. Wendy earned both a B.A. and M.A. in art education. Today, she’s a veteran teacher of adults and children, as well as a fine artist with a thriving studio practice in northern New Jersey. Energetic, organized, and deeply passionate, she’s committed to making meaningful art and sharing it with others.
Statement
Artist Statement: Drawing Joy from the Everyday
My mission is to create art that reveals everyday beauty and leads to habits of appreciation and gratitude. I aim to capture the everyday sublime—those fleeting moments of light, shadow, and connection that invite us to pause and feel joy.
Drawing and painting from direct observation are essential to my process. Whether it’s sunlight dancing on water or the long shadow of a morning walk, I've trained my eye to notice beauty in the everyday. My compositions intentionally include a deep sense of space. This invites viewers to step into the scene and share in a sense of wonder. Texture has emerged as a throughline. Experimentation in sketchbooks lead to a variety of techniques. Texture brings unity, symbolizes energy and, sets me up for surprising and unexpected results.
Painting is a meditative and uplifting act—an intentional response to the chaos of the world. Making art is also a way to connect and I have seen firsthand the emotion a custom portrait can evoke. Through dynamic compositions, expressive color, and textured surfaces, my art is a form of visual storytelling that sparks appreciation, gratitude, and joy in others, just as I experience when creating the work.