Wayne Ensrud Biography

American contemporary artist, Wayne Ensrud is known foremost as a painter and printmaker, but he was also the youngest Art Director of the Dept. of Motion Pictures and Television for the University of California.

Born in Minnesota, his career began at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. He has studied with such renowned masters as Ben Shahn, Joseph Albers, Jacques Lipchitz and Oskar Kokoschka. The relationship with Kokoschka focused him on nature, landscape, the figure and portraiture. He has ventured deeply into the realms of the non-objective abstract territory in order to increase his awareness of form, color and assemblage. The heart of Ensrud continues a love affair with the seen world. He has also been a juror on the San Francisco International Film Festival; Art Director for KQED, San Francisco; Executive Art Director of PBS-TV, New York City; Film Animator of man's first walk in space for ABC-TV's Gemini Space Program; Creative Director for the award- winning film series, "The Computer and the Mind of Man; and professor of film animation at Pratt Institute.

This Artist's day is spent in his studio at his easel exploring and creating. For two decades, he has been sought out to create paintings reflecting aspects of the world of wine. Fortunately since that means people and places it has been a natural extension of his "style" which does not demand or request a commercializing or change in his basic attitude and aesthetic standards.

Ensrud has had over 60 exhibitions in the United States, Europe and Japan. He has painted the major chateaux of and vineyards of Burgundy, Bordeaux, Beaujolais, Chateauneuf du Pape, Italy and Napa Valley. Some of his commissions include: Moet-Chandon, Martell Cognac, Godiva Liqueur, House of Seagrams, American Express, Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, Domaine Leflaive, Georges Duboeuf and Robert Mondavi.

Ensrud has toured and painted the three-star restaurants of France, the famous New York restaurants, the renowned bistros of Paris and the top Napa Valley restaurants. Ensrud has also created murals for restaurants in Paris, Minneapolis, New York City and San Francisco. Ensrud was also commissioned by Robert and Margrit Mondavi to create 20 different images and also hand-paint them on 20 different jeroboam bottles. They were auctioned at the Napa Valley Wine Auction in June 2001 for a record-breaking $260,000.

SELECTED LISTINGS:

Who's Who in American Art,

Who's Who in the East,

American Artists Directory,

Men of Achievement,

The New York Art Review,

International Printworld Directory of Contemporary Prints

AWARDS:

Oscar D'Italia,

Lever House Award,

Minnesota Hall of Fame,

Rothschild Design Award,

Grappileur of Beaujolais,

Compagnon Of Beaujolais and

Commandeur d'Honneur du Bontemps de Medoc et des Graves.

"Ensrud's art is like the irresistible puppy in the store window - animated, bubbly and charged with energy. It's the work of a painter who experiences life rather than contemplates it¼." (New York Times)