November 1 - 27, 2026 OhanlonCenter.org 616 Throckmorton Ave, Mill Valley, CA
Copyright 2026 by Wendy Ackrell. The book author and artist here, retains sole copyright to their contributions to this book.
Catalog designed by Karen M. Gutfreund, karengutfreund.com, @karengutfreundart
Wendy Ackrell Originally a writer, San Francisco-based Wendy Ackrell has worked as an artist for over two decades. She tells stories through textile art, poetry, abstraction, figuration and mixed media—often animating and transforming natural materials such as branches and river stones with paint, wool and wire, leaving them to be discovered in situ. She believes that joy in the act of creation—and the wonder in alchemizing the quotidian into something precious and perceived anew—is a resounding yes to life. Wendy’s public art has been exhibited in Union Square, the Ferry Building, SF Muni and the City of Vacaville. Her paintings have been shown at the de Young Museum, O’Hanlon Center for the Arts, Senator Scott Weiner's salon, Arc Gallery and CounterPulse, among other venues.
Speak, Memory is a tribute to my tiny but determined late grandmother. She was the first in her family to go to college and started a fulfilling career as a lawyer in the 1940s—a hard-won journey in those days. She reluctantly gave up this work she loved to marry and raise a family and live a more conventional life. She always encouraged me to follow my passions and be more daring than she was. I took her words to heart, but I always wished that she had been able to live a more adventurous life herself. The collection of striking, oversize necklaces she gave me mirror her bold spirit, and I wanted to celebrate her by painting outsized versions of them. My family moved to Milan this year so that my Italian-speaking thirteen-year-old daughter could spend a semester there, which gave me fresh perspective on my work. For the first time in decades, I didn’t have my home studio with all the familiarity and tools it contained. This forced me to consider new methods and media that I wouldn’t have discovered if I’d been home in San Francisco. I experimented with acrylic, oil markers and flashe while in Italy and have continued using these materials together since returning. I have so many of my grandmother’s arresting and dramatic pieces, and each reminds me of her and speaks to me in its own way. I have always found the veil between this world and what’s beyond to be very thin, and I like knowing that I have the pleasure of continuing this conversation with her by adding to this series over time when the spirit moves me.
wendyackrell.com | wentay@me.com | @wendyackrell | 415.336.9691
Speak, Memory #1 Acrylic and mixed media on canvas 48 x 24 inches $1500
Speak, Memory #2 Acrylic and mixed media on canvas 48 x 24 inches $1500
Speak, Memory #3 Acrylic and mixed media on canvas 48 x 24 inches $1500
Speak, Memory #4 Acrylic and mixed media on canvas 24 x 24 inches $850
Speak, Memory #5 Acrylic and mixed media on canvas 24 x 24 inches $850
Speak, Memory #6 Acrylic and mixed media on canvas 24 x 24 inches $850
Motherline Slate, Reiki stones and crystals 108 x 60 inches, variable $125 each (rounds)
Bend, Don’t Break Acrylic on canvas 30 x 48 inches $1950
Times Like These Acrylic on canvas 48 x 30 inches $1950
Forever Is Composed of Nows Acrylic on canvas 36 x 48 inches $1950
Failing and Flying (after Jack Gilbert) Acrylic on canvas 30 x 30 inches $1350
To the Deep North Acrylic on canvas 48 x 24 inches $1500
Everything Is Fine Acrylic on canvas 40 x 40 inches $1950
Tools, in Sheep’s Clothing Wool-wrapped tools $25 each small $65 each large
Painted Stones, $20 each