Wendy Chidester
Wendy Chidester currently works out of her two studios in Salt Lake City and in Helper, Utah.She studied drawing and painting at the University of Utah, graduating with her BFA in 1988, and at the Helper Art Workshops in 2007. She has won several local and national awards and has her work in corporate and private collections worldwide.Painting is Chidester’s passion. “When hunting for still life material, I find myself drawn to the abandoned and neglected objects of yesterday. In today’s fast paced, high tech world an incredible array of well worn tools, gadgets, and mechanical gems have been overshadowed and left behind. These are the subjects for my paintings, and I love the challenge they present.”To capture the beauty and soul of old inanimate objects, scratches, dents, and worn edges are important. In order to add depth and the perception of age, Chidester incorporates several application processes, including scratching the surface, flicking of paint, and the old master’s technique of glazing until the desired effect is achieved. “At times I feel as though I’m treating the painting in the same way the objects have been treated.”With each completed painting, Chidester contributes to recorded history. Memories are brought back to life as Chidester immortalizes the vintage subject matter she paints on canvas.
