April Werle
April Werle is a narrative painter based in Missoula, Montana. Her work always comes back to childhood and coming-of-age narratives, where adulthood is something interrupting the scene—seen as colorful and fantastical backgrounds met with stark black and white realism. These narratives are centered around nostalgia, grief, and memories of culture and racial identity awareness.
Her recent solo exhibitions include I Live With a Ghost, PlatteForum; My Other Half, The Chase Gallery; and Secret Life of a Multicultural Couple, Bell Projects. Her work has been featured at Montana Museum of Art and Culture, The Holter Museum of Art, and Missoula Art Museum.
Werle was selected as a PlatteForum Artist-in-Residence and for the Emerging Artist Residency at Centrum Foundation. She was honored with the Creative West Artist Fund Award, as well as a Strategic Investment Grant and ARPA Grant from the Montana Arts Council. Werle’s work has been published in Create! Magazine, New Visionary Magazine, and Mahalaya.
Artwork
Candle Study I
Candle Study II
Candle Study III
Candle Study VI
Candle Study V
Candle Study IV
Oh, you're back
"Does this bother you?"
"This is how you measure rice."
"...but you're white too!"
"We can send money home."
"Use this to wash up."
"I'm not saying my culture is better than yours!"
"You have to eat vegetables!"
"Come on in and pop your shoes off!"
"I'll save the forks for you."
"I belong to my family."
"Hide these for the spirits."
"Court, Kay, and Ape."
"Please take off your shoes."
"Are you hungry?"