Wendy Best

Artist • Writer • Teacher

Art has been part of my life since childhood. My mother was an artist and a musician, and my father was an inventor, so I was exposed early to creativity of all kinds.

While my main interest in youth was music, in adulthood I began to paint landscapes in oils, then acrylics, then back to oils again. If you want serious color, oil paint is the way to get it! A few workshops helped me acquire more skill. Primarily I do plein air work or landscapes from my imagination, with an occasional fantasy piece thrown in for fun.

I began visiting my dear cousin Jill in England about 20 years ago, and have returned many times. I was struck at once by the beauty of English buildings. An average barn there would be a tourist attraction in Hood River. I began drawing some of the complex castles, houses, and cathedrals from London to Devon to York. England is where I honed my ability to draw buildings.

The fact that I built houses right alongside of my husband for many years helps me understand how buildings go together. My artistic background allows me to select pleasing aspects of any structure. Light and shadow play a huge part in graphite work. I never use a camera, even for details. To copy a photograph robs a drawing of the personal touch that I prefer. I have to sit there and really look at my subject before I even begin to draw. It’s very centering, I can assure you.

During the past two years I have been doing commission work in Hood River, White Salmon, and The Dalles. I have created a set of six cards portraying historic buildings in The Dalles, and another set of eight cards focusing on Mt. Hood and the Upper Hood River Valley.

I live in Parkdale, Oregon with my husband, Dick. He and my children (Jan Meyer in Hood River and Mike Best in Bozeman) have been invaluable in supporting my art and anything else I aspire to. I couldn’t be me without them!