Willow Rea Temple was raised on the Outer Banks of North Carolina in the town of Manteo as the youngest of three girls. Both of her parents are lifelong musicians which originally provoked her interest in the arts. Willow graduated from UNCW with a bachelors in studio art, focusing on print making and ceramics. Being a water-woman, her passion for wind and waves led her to live in a few different coastal towns and tropical paradises, making her pick up a paint brush for its portability, versatility and accessibility. Today she enjoys print-making and mixed-media painting, though she is always eager to learn new ways to create. While living in Puerto Rico, she assisted muralist Kelly Meagher on many projects and has since created many of her own murals there and in NC. Her work is inspired by vintage photographs, storytelling, and tall tales. Willow, her dog, and husband, Red, live in Manteo, NC where they both continue to make art. When Willow isn’t painting, she spends time in the water surfing, sailing, or making music with friends and family. Artist statement: Willow Rea Temple was born and raised on the Outer Banks of North Carolina where the ocean and wetlands have always been the captain of her heart. Enriched by growing up near the water, she loves to portray the nostalgia and unique aspects of coastal culture within her work. Willow uses bold colors and expressive brush strokes to paint a pathway to new perspectives of day-to-day life. She uses vintage photographs as references which creates a timelessness to her pieces while building up thick and diverse layers upon her canvas. In hopes to always discover new things, Willow loves to experiment with mediums. Her material list is a hodgepodge of things including acrylic and oil paint, charcoal, graphite, ink, pastels, molding paste, and textiles. By using deep pigments and varying materials, her goal is to provide a sense of newness the way wetlands do for her and reveal a glimpse into a more fantastical world through colors, energy, and texture.