Tonja Vojacek Sell

I am an intuitive painter rather than a process or systematic painter. I have an idea inspired by my subject, light or vista and I paint. I rarely know just where I’m heading when I begin. I enjoy the process of letting things unfold and become. I am very conscious of light, color, design and movement. While painting en Plein air I am very aware of atmosphere and try to catch it on the canvas. I like to draw as well as paint and sculpt. I want to feel what I am making, to become a part of it. To me, a piece is successful if a viewer is compelled to explore and move around and through it.

I’m a local. I grew up in Oulu and went to high school at South Shore in Port Wing, so this is home to me. I grew up in a creative environment where exploration, invention, creative expression and hard work were encouraged and exemplified. I’m a Wisconsin native and daughter of glass artisans. I attended the Milwaukee School of Art, where I studied fine arts, drawing and illustration. I met my husband at the Milwaukee. Institute of Art & Design. After some time in Arizona, we returned to Northern Wisconsin to start a family and build our home, studio and gallery near Lake Superior. I continued to develop my work while raising and home educating our four kids.

I have been represented by galleries across the country and have work is in multiple private collections internationally. Locally, I have created murals for the Minnesota Discovery Center and the Carnegie Foundation at the Two Harbors Public Library.
I teach classes across the U.S. A, in my studio in Oulu, WI and Matt & I also lead International Art Tours to Spain, Italy & France, where students explore and create.

{Post Image:10:large:center}