Erica Wendel-Oglesby

I am an artist drawn to all things Nature: plants, animals, landscapes and New Mexico weather.  This is especially evident in my mosaics and photography!  What I truly enjoy is crafting, by hand, birds, flowers and plants using clay and colorful glazes.  My fortunate location in a wildlife corridor allows me to capture bobcats at play with their Mom, hawks, owls and many other colorful birds nesting and bringing up their tiny offspring.

During my youth in Michigan, I was often found in the woods behind our apartment with my bird and plant identification book.  After moving to Florida, I loved searching the beach for beach glass and shells.  My adult life has been in the Southwest where I studied Arabic, Economics and Healthcare Administration – no art!  It was the act of retiring where I found myself overwhelmed with artistic ideas.  I started with photography and added mosaics and jewelry two years later.

As far as my jewelry, I enjoy the hunt locally and abroad for unique pendants, beads, brooches and watch tips to create my one-of-a-kind necklaces, bracelets and earrings.  I made necklaces and wove chokers as a kid and would sell them in elementary school.  I love jewelry!

Over my life, I progressed from a small Kodak point and shoot to digital photography.  My favorite subjects were animals, birds and flowers.  Not much has changed!

I’m a self-trained artist in all my mediums and get a kick out of someone telling me my tile is glued on the wrong side or that I “should have made the sky blue” - even if it wasn’t in real life!  I make my own rules and have plenty of fun and sales.

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