me and my work

I'm a middle school art teacher in south, south Texas and I have to admit, it's an awesome gig! I have made it to the 5 year mark and continue to look ahead. Before going back to school to complete my BFA I spent a couple of years working retail and then at a local TV station, first in master control and then in the sales office as the sales assistant. It was actually through those jobs that I had my first experiences as a teacher; I had the opportunity to train my fellow employees.

My constant challenge is balancing work, family and still making time to produce art. I try to do a few of the assignments I give to the kids to keep myself creating when I'm in a lull. And, in case your are wondering, I'm not native to the area but have been here for almost 20 years.

My work:

The teacher in me wants to make my work fun and approachable. I love to create personal narratives. At the same time, I want the audience to find my images a little absurd, strange, maybe even disturbing, leaving them to question what they are looking at and it's meaning.

Wendy Gilbert’s whimsical robots parody human sentiment and physiology…Gilbert’s robots are benign representations designed to charm by way of association and style. The black and white drawings cleverly illustrate the intensity of human response. Her drawings are very personalized depictions of her own interior life, but they speak to universal human sentiments that we can all relate to. Imposing human traits and abilities upon other species and inanimate objects seems particularly humorous to us, and it makes them more relatable.

-Linda Lewis Valley Humor ArtE Magazine vol. 4 summer 2011

Frustration that turns into play that turns into art - this is the unique approach of Wendy Gilbert, and the results are delightful. -Nancy Moyer Caught in Between The Monitor Dec. 12, 2011  

To paraphrase my students, "Miss, your work is weird...but in a good way."


My ceramics are hand built, lowfire colored with stains and underglazes. My illustrations are Micro Pen on 4"x6" Bristol Board. Sometimes I'll add color with watercolor or colored pencil. Without regular kiln access, I have been doing more drawings and illustrations than ceramics in the last few years. I also like to paint on old skateboard decks. I find the unusual shape a compositional challenge. My newest interest is combining spray painted stencils with watercolors. 

I've also tried my hand at a number of other mediums including collage, stencils, digital art and photography. If you want to see more, visit my Flickr page.

This year, one of my pieces is featured in the 2013 Potters Council Sculpture Calendar. I'm October.




I've recently started contributing design ideas to Threadless with the hope that something will make it onto a t-shirt.