Inga Wilhelmy
Artwork
Paintings
2025
2024
2023
2022
2021
Information
CV
Lakewood High School 2022
I am an artist from Lakewood, Ohio, majoring in painting at the Rhode Island School of Design.
My work focuses on the concept of sonder and the small, but impactful interactions between strangers in a fleeting moment. I am drawn to the beauty of passing a person or group on a city street and, for a split second, sharing that moment in time. I am fascinated by the simple, yet magical moments when paths cross. Sonder is defined as the realization that the people around us are living lives just as vivid and complex as our own. I visualize this concept first through photography and then translate the photo to paint. Photography plays an important role in my process- specifically film photography. The excitement of relying on 35mm film and the deliberate nature of the darkroom process allows me to connect with my subject matter. My finished work represents time shared in a common space that can never be reproduced even if we meet again. Because I’ve created the vivid histories, dreams, worries, and personalities of the figures in my work, I feel like I really know the people as they become the characters in my storytelling. Translating my photography into painting is where I find the most joy. Painting offers a freedom to experiment with mark making, color, and surface quality which adds depth to each individual character’s complexity. It is most rewarding when strangers become friends as I move between the two mediums to create a story.
Please feel free to reach out for more information about purchasing artwork
Prints are available upon request
Commission Contract