First Impressions - Jeremy Wilson

The award-winning illustrator talks his art background, style, and recent projects

Where did you grow up and how has this influenced your art?

I grew up in a small farm valley town in upstate New York near the Berkshire mountain area. I did not grow up on a farm, but surrounded by them in an 1813 brick Federal house, which my parents bought when I was around seven.

The house was large, impressive and held infinite mysteries to me and my younger brother. There were hidden passages, cupboards, a 1960s-era single-occupant elevator, and a terrifying 19th-century basement. The house is on dozens of acres, leaving so much to explore. There was a huge, old safe that had fallen through the floor into the basement, totally empty, the door open and incredibly heavy, but I was convinced we’d find some loot somewhere in the house or in the safe itself. Suffice to say, it was a house and area that held a lot of haunting, mysterious qualities.

My father is an oil painter as well. His studio is in an old carriage house attached to the house. I grew up there, surrounded daily by traditional art and early American architecture and antiques. We watched a lot of Twilight Zone, Vincent Price movies and were introduced to illustration, namely Norman Rockwell, whose work and studio were preserved nearby.

What, outside of art, has most influenced your artwork?

I love horror movies and old radio dramas. In fact, I have done a number of illustrations designed as book covers for some of the old radio horror stories. I am fortunate to be in a position and career where I can indulge in so much of what I loved as a child. I can read and collect books, comics, toys and magic cards, which is exactly what I was doing 25 years ago.