GREENBRIER COUNTY W.Va. (WVDN) – Greenbrier County artist Misty Walkup was recently selected as a featured artist for the West Virginia Wildlife exhibit at the Culture Center, State Capital Complex, in Charleston. The exhibit, which opened on Jan. 26, is the third installation of Inspired: A West Virginia Series of Juried Exhibitions featuring 26 artists, including Walkup. Her work, a 24×30 acrylic on canvas, titled ‘Black Bears at Leatherwood’ was awarded first place in the exhibit among all participants and will now be part of the West Virginia State Museum’s permanent art collection.
When asked how long it took to complete her award-winning piece, Walkup replied “Overall, about a week. I usually start with an underpainting, sketch it out with paint and tone the canvas. It’s all about getting the bones of the piece in place and then deciding where everything is going to be.” With wildlife and portraits her admitted specialties, Misty Walkup gains inspiration from the very things that she loves to paint. “A lot of my paintings are wildlife,” she says. “I tend to paint more of what I am really drawn to and I’ve always loved animals, so wildlife does make up a large part of my work.”
While there is no denying that natural talent plays a very large role in being a successful artist, dedication and hard work are also qualities that every successful artisan must possess. “When I was tiny, I would draw on anything including the walls, which drove my parents crazy. Now, I’m getting paid for it,” Walkup says with a smile. “When the question was asked of what I wanted to be when I grew up, artist was always checked off on my boxes,” she adds. “For me, it was always artist, mom and nurse. When I became a mom, I instantly became a nurse because kids are always getting hurt. So that left art, and I really got serious about my art in 2001, which is when eBay was getting popular. I started selling and built up a following,” she recalls.
Today, Walkup is a successful artist through her many award-winning paintings, commissioned pieces, featured work in West Virginia calendars, stationery and note cards created using her paintings by Forever Caroline and sold in select Hallmark stores, an upcoming exhibit at Carnegie Hall this spring and her nearly completed memorial wall in Rainelle honoring the flood victims of 2016.
For more information on Misty Walkup, to inquire about a commissioned piece of art or to view her work, visit Facebook.com/ The West Virginia Wildlife exhibit, which features thirty-two pieces from state artists representing fifteen counties, will remain on display in the Lower Lobby and Commissioner’s Gallery at the Culture Center in Charleston, West Virginia until May 9, 2025. The exhibit is free and open to the public.
