Artist Quote: "My art is an imitation of my life and a reflection of those I've encountered; people & experience teach us who we are. Through natural self-expression, I want my art to inspire engagement with self-knowledge and knowledge of the whole world, which, in a sense, is oneself." Achievements: In 2009, with the help of close friends', the Whlgn® was created, an Unorthodox Art + Design Firm out of Detroit. The art collective houses professionals in photography, culinary arts, Carpentry, and SFX make-up application. In 2021, Whlgn was commissioned to design a limited release special collection for Shinola, a high-end watch maker. In 2022, Whlgn was commissioned to design the marketing materials and logo for Van's annual Custom Culture contest. He then became an ambassador for Vans North America. | About the Artist: His work ranges from internationally recognized album artwork to murals in his local neighborhood. He was raised by a single mother who supported and nurtured the gifts given to her children, the lesson of doing what you're passionate about planted a fruitful seed. Whlgn decided college for him and instead went to Brooklyn, NY to work for a design company. He creates art by recognizing the fact that he reacts emotionally to the world around him and this manifests itself in everything he paints and designs. His sensitivity to his emotional life also opens him up to be more empathetic and understanding of the people around him. For Whlgn's Shinola watch collection, each of the watches features bold, classic colors in blocky, stand-out patterns that invoke vintage-era Detroit and the carefree vibes of being a kid. Whlgn was inspired by the drawings of his young son. The collection was a partnership with Crayola crayon company, so Whlgn did all of those designs in crayon. "Early in my career, I was told that I was different because I was able to draw and design, and that always struck me as kind of weird because I always felt that they all were one and the same — like if you could design, you could draw. But I guess in learning that a lot of people that do design can't draw, and a lot of people that draw can't design, that kind of helped me to understand that there's a uniqueness about what it is that I do. I could design how the mural will look before I painted so that I can have a visual understanding of what I'm jumping into. And then when I hit that wall, it's kind of like switching back into free-thinking mode; when I'm painting and creating, I'm kind of just lost in the moment." |
Sources:
https://toneytonytone.com/
https://vman.com/article/tony-whlgn-joins-forces-with-vans-to-honor-black-history-month/
https://toneytonytone.com/
https://vman.com/article/tony-whlgn-joins-forces-with-vans-to-honor-black-history-month/