Check Out Sandra Duran Wilson’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sandra Duran Wilson.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I grew up on the border of Mexico into a family of artists and scientists. My mother’s family had many artists and my father’s family had doctors and scientists, so I always thought it was normal to pursue both fields. I would look through my father’s microscope and paint what I saw. My great-aunt was a successful painter who taught my brothers and me how to paint landscapes in oil.

I had my first oil paint set at the age of six and my first chemistry set the next year. I have been mixing things up ever since. My art evolved from landscapes to large-scale murals in high school and more abstract sculptures. I began university as a chemistry major but left school to travel and become a stone cutter and jeweler. I landed in Santa Fe, NM as a teen and opened a jeweler store not long afterward. I eventually found my way back to my studies and completed degrees in both Fine Arts and Cognitive Science.

My painting transitioned during art school, and I studied printmaking and switched from oils to acrylics. I always loved texture and I explored how acrylic enabled me to create various effects. I went on to write six art technique books on acrylic painting. I continue to mix things up with various media.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
For me, the journey, the adventure, and the explorations are what make my heart sing and inspire my art. I have been a traveler and an explorer since my feet hit the ground. With that kind of curiosity comes dangerous detours and unknown outcomes, so yes, there have been obstacles and challenges.

There was a period I call the lost years, but I recovered and that is when I returned to my studies. I also spent a decade working in the mental health field of trauma and addiction. I was making art and doing shows during this time as well. I was inspired by the bravery and fortitude of the people who found their way back to their lives.

My journey was one of working multiple jobs to be able to pay the bills and to make my art. I began doing outdoor art shows every weekend in Santa Fe during the summers. I survived snow, heat, and wind and I met incredible people during the course of 18 years that I did the shows. I am still in touch with collectors that I met during this time, and I am happy to call them friends. I would look at challenges as opportunities to figure out new solutions.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I create mixed-media acrylic work. I paint on panels, canvas, Plexiglas, metal, and even sculptural outdoor work. My work has evolved over the past 30 years as I explore how to manipulate acrylic to appear as other mediums. I have written six art technique books that share all my experiments.

One book, Acrylic Painting for Encaustic Effects, shows many ways to get acrylic paint to mimic the qualities of wax. Surface Treatment Workshop, which was my second book, has been published in six languages and is still a great seller today. It is the go-to manual for acrylic mediums and textures. My love for mixing things up drives my inspiration and I think my scientific curiosity supercharges my imagination.

I also teach workshops and seminars around the globe. I believe that travel is the best way to explore one’s inner voice and to be inspired by landscapes, people, culture, art, and music. I work with organizers to put together unique and life-changing artistic experiences. I also teach two workshops a year in my personal studio in Santa Fe and a few other art retreats in the US. I get tremendous satisfaction from watching artists that I have mentored and taught expand their creative lives. That is the best.

I have several pieces of art in international collections and many in Art in Public Places in New Mexico. I will be in Venice in June to receive a Phoenix award that is presented to artists, sculptors, and photographers of merit. One of my most satisfying moments was when the architects of the new Santa Fe Convention Center selected my painting to hang in the main entrance and they sent the decorators to my studio so they could design the furniture and rug to go with the painting.

Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Taking a risk is absolutely essential if you want to grow as an artist, even as a human. I joke that I survived two older brothers. They weren’t the protective kind; they were the ones to dare me and push me beyond my comfort zone. Some of the dares didn’t go so well but I am still here and a braver soul as a result.

Now, when I am faced with a daunting or scary proposition, I just remember all the things I have already survived. When it comes to art, really, it’s just painting. I don’t get caught up in the preciousness of it. I teach myself and others to be daring, don’t be afraid to make mistakes or your work will never be as good as it can be.

For my personal work, I am always pushing the boundaries of materials and lately even the concept of what constitutes art and craft. I am taking some ideas into the environment and partnering with the elements to contribute to the work. I am also combining my paintings and photography with digital tools, no AI, but I think it may eventually become a tool an artist uses. I am working on a show in August and looking forward to a residency in October in France. I am always ready to say yes to the next project.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sandraduranwilson.com/about
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sandraduranwilson/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sandraduranwilsonartist
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/sandraduranwilson
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/duranwilson/sandra-duran-wilson-art/?etslf=9248&eq=sandra%C3%BAsotwo0duran