About the artist

Gerald Vilenski grew up in Northern Michigan, and his choice of subject matter and media reflects those beginnings. Vilenski has over 30 years of experience as an art instructor. During those years, he has maintained a parallel career as a professional level watercolorist. His work has been shown nationally in galleries and exhibits, and has been included in numerous one-person and group shows. Watercolors from Gerald Vilenski have been shown in several Michigan Watercolor Society Competitions, including its Traveling Exhibit, as well as numerous Michigan Art Education Purchase exhibits. Vilenski was one of the original founders of the Plainwell Arts Council, and served as its president for 20 years. In addition, he occasionally teaches adult watercolor workshops in the region as well as in northern Michigan in the summers.

Vilenski prefers to work in a representational style, or as he characterizes it, regional realism. His subject matter includes scenes of rural architecture and landscape, as well as the varied scenes from the coastlines of Michigan and the East Coast. He is especially interested in the infinite variety of textures and colors to be found in unlikely areas like marshes, old farmsteads, abandoned houses and the seashore.

Watercolors by Gerald Vilenski are included in numerous corporate and private collections. He is a member of the Michigan Watercolor Society and the Michigan Art Education Association. He is among the featured teachers profiled in the book, “The Flower Teachers.”