First Impressions: Winona Nelson
Representation lies at the heart of this US illustrator’s work.
Where did you grow up and how has this influenced your art?
I grew in Duluth, Minnesota, on the shore of Lake Superior. It’s a beautiful place with harsh winters, and nature was a big part of my life. I have a deep connection to that lake and the forests of the north, and the stories of my tribe, the Ojibwe. My love for where I come from shows up in my paintings such as Nanaboozhoo.
What, outside of art, has most influenced your artwork?
Exploring my relationship with gender and my tribe, and diversity in general, has played a big role in my development and career. Lately I’ve been inspired by music – punk, rock and goth music in particular.
What was your first paid commission, and does it stand as a representation of your talent?
I started out in comics, with one of my first commissions being the gay action sci-fi webcomic Artifice, by Alex Woolfson. I’ve gotten a lot better, but the gestures and acting still hold up pretty well.
What’s the last piece you finished and how do the two differ?
Leap is an 8x10-inch acrylic and oil painting. They differ in just about every way you can think of. Leap isn’t sequential or even narrative, but more just play: letting the paint create interesting textures and placing a fantastical creature into the scene. I love wild, saturated colour and trying to capture the feeling of music, in this case power and stoner metal. The one thing that carries through both is a focus on solid anatomical drawing and emotional gesture.
What character or scene that you’ve painted do you most identify with?
Open Your Eyes is a sort of spiritual self-portrait, painted out of frustration with feeling overlooked and underestimated due to being a physically unintimidating, female-bodied person. I wanted to show someone of my size as a warrior. These days I feel more comfortable in my presentation, but the feelings behind this piece still resonate.
Is your art evolving?
Oh, always. Lately I’ve been creating abstract textures and painting or drawing on top of them. The most recent larger experimental piece is Winona and Child, depicting my namesake, the mother of half-spirit, half-mortal shape shifter Nanaboozhoo from Ojibwe stories. I’m also playing with graphite powder and water on clayboard.
How has the art industry changed since you’ve been working in it?
Minority creators have been gaining a lot of representation over the past years, with last year’s unrest waking up a lot of industries to the still-entrenched unfairness built into our society. Companies are making a real effort to hire and represent people of all colours, gender identities, sexual orientations and bodies. Representation has always been central to my work and I’m excited to see such a big push to bring the diversity of real life into publishing, games and pop culture.
What does the future hold for you?
I’ve started working in children’s books and editorial illustration, and I’m returning to comics with my own project called Cut Flowers, using 9B pencil and graphite powder with digital watercolour. Winona is a Philadelphia-based artist working in illustration, fine art, comics and concept art. Her work focuses on diversity, empowerment and fantastical imagery. See www.winonanelsonart.com.
I love wild, saturated colour and trying to capture the feeling of music