Image by Kristen Loken
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Ingrid V. Wells understands herself not only as an oil painter based in San Francisco, but as consciousness playing the part of an individual on a quest towards personal freedom. Her current collection of representational oil paintings feature still life objects, as she is curious about the practice of living a still life.
Wells has gone through an extended out-of-body experience, earning her a Disney Fast Pass down the rabbit hole of studying time expansion and conscious awareness. As the first professional artist (and therapy-goer) in her family, she seeks to inspire others toward their own awakening. She is eternally grateful for the challenges put across her path, her art school experiences for leading her exactly to this place in her work and the long line of badasses in her family who blazed the trail. Her work has been exhibited worldwide in over 100 exhibitions and featured in numerous media publications including The Huffington Post, Daily Mail, BUST Magazine, W Magazine, Hyperallergic and Teen Vogue. In 2019 her painting was featured as a cover image in Spain’s leading newspaper El País, representing the international women’s movement. She received a Certificate of Honor from the Board of Supervisors for the City and County of San Francisco in 2020, for painting uplifting murals in COVID-19 hospital overflow patient spaces. In June 2025, Wells served as an artist in residence at Sample-Studios in Cork, Ireland, where she met with the Mayor to strengthen the Sister Cities relationship between San Francisco and Cork. Her artwork was recently invited to serve as buried treasure in the San Francisco 2025 Treasure Hunt, covered by NPR. Her studio is located in Yelamu (San Francisco) on the unceded territories of Ramaytush Ohlone peoples. MFA Painting, San Francisco Art Institute, 2013 BFA Painting & Art Education, Arizona State University, 2010 C.V. available upon request |
STATEMENT
My representational oil paintings prominently feature celebratory still life objects (sprinkles, confetti, star and flower beads, cheerful porcelain figurines), as I am curious about the practice of living a still life centered around resilience. My work contemplates the aliveness in all things - the exercise of noticing the subtle and connecting with the spiritual (aka the quantum field). The notion of, “What we focus on expands,” has directed the themes in my work to center around fun, joy and freedom. I employ rich color to induce these states of being. I utilize simple shapes and repeated compositions as a metaphor for the seemingly simple truths one encounters repeatedly while on the path of spiritual enlightenment. My luscious oil paintings operate within the realm of realism, as I am focused on gaining a deeper understanding about the nature of reality.
During my time as a musician, it was often my role to hold the pitch while others tuned around my resonant frequency. With visual work I understand my practice as similar, but it is now an energetic vibration that the oil paintings must hold in order to aid in creating positive transformational experiences and in tuning global consciousness.
I aim to inspire others to let go of their fear in favor of creation, to surrender their personal victimhood narratives in exchange for empowerment and to release the illusion of a negative reality in service of personal freedom. Through my painting practice I have discovered that when your internal experience is clear of stress and you release yourself from the pressure to blend in with miserable surroundings, you begin to know yourself as joy. I cheer for the underdog, counting myself as one, and knowing our shared victory to be inevitable.
My representational oil paintings prominently feature celebratory still life objects (sprinkles, confetti, star and flower beads, cheerful porcelain figurines), as I am curious about the practice of living a still life centered around resilience. My work contemplates the aliveness in all things - the exercise of noticing the subtle and connecting with the spiritual (aka the quantum field). The notion of, “What we focus on expands,” has directed the themes in my work to center around fun, joy and freedom. I employ rich color to induce these states of being. I utilize simple shapes and repeated compositions as a metaphor for the seemingly simple truths one encounters repeatedly while on the path of spiritual enlightenment. My luscious oil paintings operate within the realm of realism, as I am focused on gaining a deeper understanding about the nature of reality.
During my time as a musician, it was often my role to hold the pitch while others tuned around my resonant frequency. With visual work I understand my practice as similar, but it is now an energetic vibration that the oil paintings must hold in order to aid in creating positive transformational experiences and in tuning global consciousness.
I aim to inspire others to let go of their fear in favor of creation, to surrender their personal victimhood narratives in exchange for empowerment and to release the illusion of a negative reality in service of personal freedom. Through my painting practice I have discovered that when your internal experience is clear of stress and you release yourself from the pressure to blend in with miserable surroundings, you begin to know yourself as joy. I cheer for the underdog, counting myself as one, and knowing our shared victory to be inevitable.
Projects
TWIRL: A Decade of Artist Interviews
San Francisco Artist Studios
In addition to her practice, Wells serves her local community by acting as
Fine Arts Division Assistant Director for California College of the Arts.
SHOP ORIGINAL PAINTINGS ON ARTSY
CONTACT MY STUDIO: [email protected]
JOIN WAITLIST FOR NEW RELEASES
TWIRL: A Decade of Artist Interviews
San Francisco Artist Studios
In addition to her practice, Wells serves her local community by acting as
Fine Arts Division Assistant Director for California College of the Arts.
SHOP ORIGINAL PAINTINGS ON ARTSY
CONTACT MY STUDIO: [email protected]
JOIN WAITLIST FOR NEW RELEASES