EVAN WILSON | 1ST PLACE
2025 PETS COMPETITION

Evan Wilson’s paintings embody the enduring elegance of American realism, capturing fleeting moments with a luminous grace that feels both timeless and immediate. His mastery of light — whether cascading through an elegant interior, highlighting a textile, or illuminating the delicate petals of a floral arrangement — is a hallmark of his work, evoking imagery from such artists as John Singer Sargent and Flemish painter Anthony van Dyck.

Wilson’s art transforms ordinary scenes that pulse with life and quiet sophistication, allowing meticulous observation and painterly finesse to captivate his viewers. His paintings serve as a bridge between tradition and modernity, reminding us that beauty, when rendered with skill and sincerity, never goes out of style.

Wilson’s artistic abilities developed at the North Carolina School of the Arts and the Maryland Institute College of Art. After college, he studied at the Schuler School of Fine Arts in Baltimore then moved to Florence, Italy to paint as the recipient of the Greenshields Foundation grant.

Wilson’s ability to paint what he sees allows him to work with a variety of subjects including still lifes, landscapes, portraits, rural scenes, and figures.

Impact of Light in Wilson's Paintings

“For me, the excitement of painting is color and light,” Wilson says. “Several years ago, I discovered that adding sunlight in a painting can be an effective device in directing the viewer. It also added atmosphere."

“For example, when I was painting ‘Anita and Elliot,’ I spent months getting the bed and mother and baby just right. Toward the end of the project, the sun had moved more into the west illuminating a different part of the scene, so I decided to paint it. You could call it a happy accident because it not only adds warmth, but it also draws the viewer into the heart of the focal point.”

The same is true in his winning piece in our 2025 Pets Competition, “Waiting for Jennifer.” The painting captures a scene of his sister’s dog, Ellie, missing her owner who was traveling. In the artwork, Ellie is curled up on Jennifer’s bed while sunlight dances across the pillows and blankets directing the viewer’s eye to the dog as the focal point in the piece. Wilson’s loose brushwork in the fabrics contrasts nicely with the more detailed rendering of the dog’s fur, again emphasizing Ellie as the subject of the painting.

Including Textiles in His Work

Wilson often uses richly decorated fabrics in his paintings, the folds and draping of the material adding movement and direction in the piece. “I have always been drawn to the beauty of textiles being incorporated into a painting,” Wilson says.

His particular affection for traditional Japanese wedding kimonos with their decorative rendering of cranes and peacocks is evident in his kimono series where fabrics play as important a role as the model in these works. “When I’m arranging a painting of a woman in a kimono, I use the sleeves of the kimono to create angles. I often add colored sashes as well to lead the viewer up and through the painting in a directional way,” he says.

Born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Wilson currently lives in upstate New York in an early-19th century home that is often the subject of his paintings. He still makes regular visits to his home state of Alabama for inspiration.

His work is included in several museum collections, and he has received many awards including the William Bouguereau Award for Emotion, Theme, and the Figure in Art Renewal Center’s prestigious Annual International Salon. His paintings have also been in solo and group exhibitions across the U.S.

Wilson is represented by Shuptines Gallery in Chattanooga, Tennesee, and Rivenbark and Roper in Huntsville, Alabama.

All artwork © Evan Wilson, shared with permission.