Artist

April Willy

Website

Instagram

Openning Hours

Set days in the studio Monday, Thursday, Friday.
Please contact me before visiting.

Location

A-335

Painting • Illustration

My work examines earthy places…done with a notion of whimsy and imagination.

I like nothing more than to nestle into an area of my painting, brush in hand, illuminating a twig or softened flower with a magic burst from an unknown light source.

Many of my paintings are seen as abstracts, but the inspiration always derives from natural elements in the landscape. I paint in layers of oil, weaving ellipses, spheres and circles within the art. This layering helps me achieve an out-of-focus, undefined quality giving the viewer a softer look at the world.

Bio

April Willy became an advertising and editorial illustrator after graduating from Herron School of Art. She spent almost 20 years working for local and national agencies before her growing interest in fine art redirected her career. April has completed eight children’s books and still takes on commercial projects, focusing primarily on painting. April’s work has won numerous local and national awards including a National Society of Illustrator’s Honorable Mention, a Governor’s Choice Award and an American Women’s Artist Award. In 2008 April won a Gold Medal Moonbeam Children’s Book Award for illustrating Why Is Mommy Sleeping? In 2011 she won the Outstanding Contemporary painting award by the Hoosier Salon and Best of Show at the Carmel International Arts Festival. In 2013 April was awarded Best Emerging Artist in the Art Comes Alive national competition and in 2014 she won the Outstanding Contemporary painting at the Hoosier Salon for the third time. From 2015-2017, April served as president to the 100-year-old Indiana Artists organization. In 2017 she won 2 nd place at the IMA exhibition and 1 st place at the Carmel International Arts Festival. In 2018, April won the Best Abstract Award at the Hoosier Salon annual exhibition with the winning painting becoming part of the Indiana State Museum’s permanent collection. In 2019, April won First Place in the Indiana Artists Exhibition at the IMA at Newfields. Her work has been in over 50 juried shows and exhibitions and has been sold to several corporate and private collectors here in the United States and abroad. April has a studio-gallery located on the third floor of the historic Stutz Car Factory building in downtown Indianapolis. She is represented by The Wit Gallery in Massachusetts and the Circle Gallery in Carmel. Please visit aprilwilly.art to see more of her work.