Wendy Carney is an award-winning realist oil painter. She spent her childhood in Colorado and graduated from the University of Colorado with a B.A. in Economics and International Relations. Carney has lived in Lund and Stockholm (Sweden), North Hampton (MA), Boulder, New York City, Dallas, Chicago, Telluride, Denver, Boston, and Charlottesville before returning to Chicago, where she currently lives.

Carney turned to painting as a way to express her observations of the world. Her nomadic life has provided her with a wealth of subjects and endless inspiration. She cares deeply about the places she has lived and traveled. Through her paintings she seeks to share the detail and richness of those experiences.

A self-taught artist, Carney has been painting for all of her adult life. When she began painting professionally in her mid-thirties, her paintings began to sell immediately. Her work has received numerous national and international awards and honors, including from the American Art Awards, the International ARC Renewal Art Center, The Artist’s Magazine, and Southwest Art Magazine. Carney’s work is in private collections across the country.  

Carney has also owned and managed a small publishing company, as well as a nonprofit for children’s literacy. She is a member of Oil Painters of America and the International Guild of Realism.