Bio

The minister stops in the middle of his sermon and says to the small, blond boy who is zealously sketching on a piece of paper in the second pew, “You need to pay attention.”  Jon Wildman sets the drawing on the pew and sits up, but he will take out the pencil and paper again as soon as the pastor isn’t watching. 

Jon Wildman was born in 1963 in Sterling, Illinois.  Because of his childhood speech problems, he latched onto art as a means of self-expression.  His parents recognized his abilities, nurtured his art interest in school, took him to shows on the weekends, and registered his for private art lessons.  As he matured, the speech problems disappeared, and his interest in school and learning grew.  Once he entered High School, an inspirational art teacher, Mrs. Helen, challenged and encouraged him to study art in college.  Jon graduated from Northern Illinois University in 1989 with a BFA in ceramics, while experimenting with two-dimensional arts.  After graduation, he worked with ceramics and also developed a photography portfolio. 

Meanwhile, the road of life took an unexpected turn, and he found himself working for the well-known Midwest sculptor, Jeff Adams.  Drawing from his experience with clay sculpture, high temperature ceramic processes/equipment, painting and welding, Jon gain experience with figurative sculpture.  He recognized how the smallest gesture, line and form can trigger subtle responses.  Applying patinas to textured sculptures, he developed a sense of how the surface interacts with color and experimented with different application techniques.

Since 2009, Jon Wildman has been combining his unique experiences with photography, sculpture, and painting to explore how mediums interact with textured surfaces using alternative application techniques.