Meet Denny Wainscott

Denny Wainscott, In Season, carved gourd/turquoise, 10 x 11.After years of working up to 18 hours a day in the auto industry, Denny Wainscott was thrilled to begin a new job where shifts were “only 12 hours long.” There was just one problem: “I suddenly had a lot of time to kill,” he laughs. Intrigued by some artists he’d recently observed, he began exploring the art of gourd painting. But while he enjoyed working with vessels, he felt like
something was missing. It wasn’t until about a year later, when he started carving the gourds, that he found his true artistic passion. “It simply felt right,” he says. A few days after his 50th birthday, he quit his job and became a full-time artist.

Inspired by his love of nature and the countryside that surrounds his home in rural Indiana, Wainscott creates pieces that feature Native American and wildlife designs made with intricate carving and wood burning. Inlaid stones, colorful stains and dyes, and gold leaf augment the beauty of each piece. But the most important aspect of Wainscott’s work is the philosophy behind it. The artist has been battling a brain tumor for the past eight years, and he insists that creating art has helped him through some of his most difficult times. “There is a message of hope in all of my pieces,” he says. “Life is a journey and a struggle, but if you have confidence in yourself and learn from your mistakes, you’ll make it.” Wainscott is represented by Little Bird at Loretto, Santa Fe, NM. —Lindsay Mitchell