After attending a RISD program in high school, Wendyll Brown knew she wanted to be a painter. Wendyll attended California College of the Arts and received a BA in studio art from Connecticut College. She moved to New York in 1982 to design lines of home furnishings for Macy’s and Fortunoff.
In 1993 she started her own design firm: Biber and Brown, which specialized in developing private label home products for retailers and manufacturers.
In 2003 she moved to Rhode Island and started to paint full time. Her work is informed by her design background and her travel experiences. Her paintings explore relationships in nature, architecture and design.
Wendyll creates mixed media paintings in her studio located in a mill in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Her work has been commissioned for business and residential clients and is included in many private collections.
Colonnade 2025
Acrylic and mixed media on canvas 24″ x 44″
Artist Statement
My work is rooted in the observation of nature and the interplay of textures and patterns found in both organic and constructed worlds. I am drawn to the intricate details in natural forms—the veins in rocks, the contrast of shadows across a landscape. At the same time, I am inspired by the tactile language of building materials: the roughness of concrete, the layered history of rusted metal.
I start each painting by digitally embedding elements of texture, type and pattern to create prints with unexpected combinations. Paper and paint are collaged over this layer to create a dynamic surface with obscured or transparent parts emerging from the background. My art is an intersection of contrasts: the organic and geometric, the familiar and the abstract.
Additional Info
Artist Website: WENDYLLBROWN.COM
Instagram: @wendyllkbrown
Part of Growing the NetWorks
This artist was selected by a past NetWorks Rhode Island participant as part of Growing the NetWorks — a 2025 exhibition presented by WaterFire Providence, at the WaterFire Arts Center, celebrating peer-nominated artists from across Rhode Island. Learn more at waterfire.org/growingthenetworks
Highlighting the work of selected artists who have played vital roles in shaping the contemporary visual arts community in Rhode Island. This collection of brief video portraits provides a window into the lives, practices, and cultural contributions of professional artists.
