About

Bio:

A Lexington, Kentucky native, Wytessa O’Neal is a Conceptualist-Surrealist artist. Ever since she could misspell her name, drawing and designing have been one of her most common uses of her hands. Beginning with Fine Arts, she later received her bachelor’s degree in film. Post college, she has spent her art career returning to Fine Art. Freelancing in painted portraits, business murals, and a line of apparel hand-designing canvas tote bags. Aside from producing art, she has also worked in art education, conducting non-traditional mobile classes alongside her husband - teaching the Bible through art. Wytessa believes her relationship with Jesus the Christ to be the rhyme and reason to all of her artistic and creative ability.

Statement:

There's nothing new under the sun. To do something innovative, it's important to consider what is old. I tend to think of the audience of a particular painting. How were they impacted? Did they comprehend the meaning in the time it was created, or did understanding happen in hind-sight? Lastly, I put aside what I've learned and contemplate if there was more the artist wanted to convey, but popular appeal overruled..? This is the psychology behind my practice, and why I consider myself a Conceptualist-Surrealist artist. However, it’s not the sum total of who I am, but rather a part of me. Allegorically speaking, being an artist is an attribute of my personality created by God, for one of the unique ways I can Glorify Him. Everything else is insignificantly significant, yet other conduits to fame His name. The conceptualism derives from my spirituality- I am Christian. Spiritual content typically won't hold up well in logic/rationale. However, they carry much volume with imagery, emotion, feeling, experience and awareness. Attributes of Surrealism. Within the perimeters of genre, it allows me to speak spiritually to an artistic and visual driven world. It is the translator from spiritual concept to linear understanding of what is spiritually discerned. The Invisible is everywhere and we experience it differently, according to what is most influential. I’ve been labeled a “Christian artist”, which I don’t mind. However, if you look into “Christian art”, the majority of what you will find is a bunch of crosses or pictures of “Jesus” on the cross. In my opinion, this doesn’t do much justice when it comes to engaging the audience into the Faith. With the artwork I produce, its combined with substance, meaning, concepts and principle. I extract that from scripture and pour it into the artwork in a strategic way, (via Conceptualist -Surrealism). My process in this style, will grasp the expansion of the audience's imagination. Using their influences, it structures their understanding into a single related thought, thus revealing the meaning behind the painting - which continuously unfolds. Through art, I contextualize understanding and subjects of great importance, into imagery. My artwork is persistent with being an avenue for the audience to peer into the Faith.

Additional Information

Willing to be contacted for: Murals, Tote Bag orders, Oil Paintings, Bible Study Groups, Art Classes, Bible Classes, Art Education