Artist Profile: Wyatt Hersey

Written by: Bird Collective

Published on December 9, 2020

Time to read 1 min

Wyatt Hersey is an illustrator, painter, and muralist based in Chico, CA. He combines his fascination with humans' connection to land with a love of contemporary illustration and folk art from around the world. His work bursts with a simplified but powerful color palette and celebrates the beauty of the life of earthlings.

Name

Wyatt Hersey

Where do you live?

I live on the edge of the Sacramento Valley at the foot of the Sierra Nevadas. I live in the land of Valley Oaks and sprawling grasslands.

What do you seek to communicate in your work?

I want to communicate the importance & joy of a deep relationship with nature, a sense of humans in right relationship with themselves, each other & the natural world.

How has nature been a source of inspiration for you?

I find that nature calms my mind & activates my senses in a way that grounds me & brings me back to my center. Following the changes in nature cultivates a sense of belonging.

Tell us about your most memorable bird experience.

I once accidentally stalked up on a Great-horned Owl perched in an alder beside a riffle along Chico’s Big Chico Creek. The bird was sleeping & didn’t see me, and I was so close I could have reached out and touched it. Eventually it woke up and started watching a Monarch Butterfly that was fluttering about. The butterfly flew towards me and landed on my hat brim, the owl’s eyes following it to its perch. I thought my cover was blown but when the butterfly moved on the owl’s eyes followed, it didn’t notice me. The butterfly came back a second time but this time I couldn’t stay still and the owl noticed & flew off. I was left in silence beside the creek, in awe of my experience. 🙂