• By Walkertown Branch
• Posted Friday, September 13, 2019

Paintings by Willie Welch on display at Walkertown

Winston-Salem artist Willie Welch will be featured in an exhibit at Walkertown Branch Library through the end of September 2019. His realistic acrylic and pastel works reflect his rural upbringing and experience as a technical illustrator, commercial artist and designer.

Welch’s paintings have been displayed at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry and numerous other shows and exhibits. He is the recipient of the Kapp-Kapp-Kappa award at the Indianapolis 500 Art Festival as well as several “best of show” awards. Welch is also the former president of the Fort Wayne, IN Artist Guild.

Welch’s paintings on exhibit are available for purchase. Call 336-703-2991 for more info.

Below is a transcript of an interview on Thursday, June 27, 2019, at the Walkertown Branch Library with Willie Welch and his wife, Kathy Welch, by Natalia Tuchina, Branch Manager.

Natalia Tuchina: Please introduce yourself and tell us how you became an artist.

Willie Welch: My name is Willie Welch and I’m originally from Missouri. I’ve lived in Texas, Arkansas, Idaho, and Michigan but I moved to Winston-Salem from Indiana about nine months ago.

From a very early age I had the desire to do artwork. At seventeen, I went to an art school and graduated as a commercial artist. I was a commercial artist for a number of years and designed napkins, doilies, and placemats. After I left that area, I became a graphic designer (or technical illustrator) for Magnavox. Then I became a graphic designer for the General Telephone Company in Indiana for thirteen years.

During this period, I also pursued my fine art. I did paintings and drawings and went to a number of art shows in Indiana, Ohio, and Chicago.

Tuchina: What type of work do you have in this exhibition?

Welch: The majority of the artworks in this exhibition are acrylic paintings with one pastel.

Tuchina: What is your favorite artwork in this show?

Welch: The one of the flower is a wildflower from Australia. We just visited our son there last year, so that one reminds me of our visit. My second favorite one is of the basket with a toolbox. One reason I like that one is that it’s sort of a keepsake of us moving here. When we first moved here, there was a shed in the back of the property that I found those things in.

Tuchina: Tell us about your family.

Welch: My wife, Kathy, my son-in-law, David, and my daughter, Rachel, are all very supportive. My son-in-law helped me convert our basement into an artist’s studio.

Tuchina: Kathy, what do you enjoy most about your husband being an artist?

Kathy Welch: He’s able to do what he really, really loves and that makes me happy. Anytime that you can do something that you really enjoy, it makes you happy. When he’s happy, I’m happy!

The artist Willie Welch can be contacted by phone 260-241-3327. His email is available at the library upon request.