April Werle

April Werle (b. 1995) is a narrative painter based in Missoula, Montana. 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 also been featured in the 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 the ARPA Grant and Strategic Investment Grant from the Montana Arts Council. Werle’s work has been published in Create! Magazine, New Visionary Magazine, and Mahalaya.

April Werle’s work features disembodied hand characters experiencing life in vibrant, colorful settings that contrast from their grayscale forms. In close proximity to these figures, viewers are invited into these intimate moments that depict important nostalgic memories—scenes portraying fundamental experiences that shape the characters’ sense-of-self. Inspired by family memories and late 90’s American Pop TV, Werle’s work references images and cultural narratives that portray a promised version of the idealized American life. Windows, mirrors, and screens are often seen in her work as reflective surfaces, as well as barriers within her narratives. Distorted space and color placement cue us into the possibility that these moments, even those depicting grief and escapism, may be romanticized. Acrylic on stained and whitewashed wood, Werle’s work is an exploration of memory and the evolving awareness of racial identity.

Artwork