April Werle
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aprilwerle.com
April Werle
@aprilwerle.com
400 followers 330 following 660 posts
What if we were just our hands?
Current — Montana Museum of Art & Culture
Upcoming — solo Chase Gallery
aprilwerle.com
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April Werle @aprilwerle.com · Jan 23
My name is April Werle. I am a narrative painter. I use hands to tell stories about mixed-race families and how they navigate conflict while finding ways to share and celebrate culture.

My work is inspired by my own Filipino American family.

#art #contemporarypainting #filipinoamerican
aprilwerle.com
Heavy on the metaphors here 🕯️🪞👻

Candle Study V, 2025, 14 x 11 in, Acrylic and stain on wood panel

#contemporarypainting
Painting of two hands appear in mirrors with light hand behind one, and dark hand behind other, both lighting candles. Closest to the viewer are three transparent hands transitioning from dark to light and a candle burns out in front of them.
April 12, 2025 at 7:33 PM
aprilwerle.com
Playing around with mirrors 🪞

Candle Study IV, 2025, 12 x 12 in, Acrylic and stain on wood panel

#contemporarypainting #surrealism
Painting of a light hand looking into mirror with a dark hand looking back. There is a candle in the foreground that has burned low
April 8, 2025 at 10:11 PM
aprilwerle.com
Officially up at the Montana Museum of Art and Culture 🫣
Artist in white pants with black sleeveless turtleneck, black belt, black bolo, and black boots standing in front of white wall with two of her paintings featuring hands
March 28, 2025 at 5:20 PM
aprilwerle.com
Today in studio
March 22, 2025 at 12:05 AM
aprilwerle.com
Candle Study III is from a series of small works exploring magical objects, the candle and mirror.

I love the mirror as a metaphor. I am intrigued by our ability to see past reflections and visualize versions of ourselves that are based on the biases of others.

#contemporaryart #painting
Painting of a light hand looking into mirror of a dark hand in motion lighting a candle that has recently blown out on the viewers side of the mirror
February 27, 2025 at 6:28 PM
aprilwerle.com
Today in studio
February 25, 2025 at 4:37 PM
aprilwerle.com
Candle Study II, 2025, 10 x 8 in, Acrylic and stain on wood panel

#contemporaryart #painting
Painting of a dark black-and-white hand lighting a candle in front of a mirror, the flame of the candle is burning. In the mirror is a light black-and-white hand that is holding a burnt out match next to a blown out candle
February 19, 2025 at 11:11 PM
Reposted by April Werle
sherricola.bsky.social
April Werle @aprilwerle.com

www.aprilwerle.com
February 14, 2025 at 12:40 PM
Reposted by April Werle
sherricola.bsky.social
April Werle @aprilwerle.com

www.aprilwerle.com
February 14, 2025 at 12:36 PM
aprilwerle.com
“Where are you from-from?”, 2023, 40 x 30 in, Acrylic and stain on wood panel

#art #contemporarypainting
Painting of a black and white hand with a cigarette sitting in an orange peacock chair, with palm leaves at the bottom of the chair, and a setting sun in the background
February 13, 2025 at 4:51 PM
aprilwerle.com
Will be playing Kendrick Lamar in studio all day tomorrow
February 10, 2025 at 9:10 AM
aprilwerle.com
“I belong to my family.”, 2023, 36 x 36 in, Acrylic and stain on wood panel

#contemporarypainting #surrealism
Painting of three hands standing on a balcony with sun and palm trees in the background. The center hand is larger than the other two and reaches down to touch smaller hand by its side. The two hands on the sides are split in half by shading—darker on one side and lighter on the other. To the left, a photo of a band split by gradient hangs on the wall
February 8, 2025 at 6:10 PM
aprilwerle.com
My first finished study for February

Candle Study I, 2025, 8 x 10 in, Acrylic and stain on wood panel

#acrylicpainting
Close up image of painting of a black and white hand hovering over a blown out candle with a pinched motion. Two candles that are lit, flank the center candle
February 6, 2025 at 10:30 PM
aprilwerle.com
Top coating this small candle study. Taking February to make some small works and explore some things, before I get back into the larger pieces for my show

#acrylicpainting #painting
Image of small painting on stool drying. The painting features a hand that has recently pinched a candle wick with smoke visible above candle. Two candles flank the center candle, but are lit with intense flames
February 5, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Reposted by April Werle
amandambarr.bsky.social
Potentially sad post: my fuzzy cuddle buddy, Sombra, the cat who saved me from the dark, is going in for a small surgery on Friday to biopsy a growth on his paw. If you have the ability to help, I have new mugs up in my shop. amandambarr.com/shop
Thanks to all who already shopped & shared!
blue-grey cat curled up on some blankets snoozing away white mug on white backdrop with black incised decoration cats, one is solid black. some glaze drips
February 3, 2025 at 11:10 PM
aprilwerle.com
So this was an accident from install that I asked if I could keep 😂
February 4, 2025 at 11:01 PM
aprilwerle.com
Put these pieces in the window at the Holter Museum today.

White knuckle drove there yesterday, and white knuckle drove home today—but these made it safely!

#painting #contemporaryart
Side image from the right of two paintings in a window exhibition. The closest painting has two hands eating lumpia, rice, and salad Left side angle of two paintings in window display. The closest painting features two hands in a bathroom holding a tabo together
February 4, 2025 at 10:44 PM
aprilwerle.com
Got so stuck on my WIP painting that I’m officially taking February off from working on my show to sit down and make small studies.

Artists: what do you do when you feel stuck in studio?
February 2, 2025 at 6:03 PM
aprilwerle.com
Not art, but I love the camaraderie of when you go to a show and someone in the crowd just starts handing out mustaches.

We need more acts of shared joy.
Image of April with a sticker mustache, posing in the camera’s flash in a dark public room Shot of three in a dark crowd, with green light highlighting everyone, and the front two people are wearing black sticker mustaches
January 31, 2025 at 6:35 PM
aprilwerle.com
“I’m not saying my culture is better than yours!”, 2024, 36 x 24 in, Acrylic and stain on wood panel

#surrealism #contemporaryart
Painting of two hands sitting in a theater, the left hand points towards a light hand speaking into a microphone on stage, and the right hand is taut and seemingly distraught
January 31, 2025 at 5:06 PM
aprilwerle.com
One of my favorite shots from a feature with Rocky Mountain Women’s Business Center

PC Whitney Sarah Photography

#artist #artstudio #contemporaryart
Shot from below, looking up at artist sitting on a stool in studio in front of two surreal paintings
January 31, 2025 at 3:13 AM
aprilwerle.com
“You have to eat vegetables!”, 2024, 24 x 24 in, Acrylic and stain on wood panel

#narrativepainting #acrylicpainting
Painting of two hands standing in front of stove top with onions and meat in a pan. The lighter hand gestures at the darker hand, and the darker hand points into the pan
January 30, 2025 at 6:36 PM
aprilwerle.com
Today in studio

#contemporaryart #artstudio #painting
Cluttered corner of artist’s studio with large peacock chair, a painting in progress on the floor, and two finished paintings hanging on the walls.
January 29, 2025 at 9:05 PM
aprilwerle.com
Last year, I gave the keynote speech for the Asian Student Interracial Association (A.S.I.A) Multicultural Night at Montana State University.

Using my art practice as an example, the theme of my talk was about embracing multicultural identity.

#arttalk #multiculturalism #artivist
April Werle on Embracing Multicultural Identity
YouTube video by April Werle
youtu.be
January 29, 2025 at 8:01 PM
aprilwerle.com
“We can send money home.”, 2024, 40 x 30 in, Acrylic and stain on wood panel

#contemporarypainting #narrativepainting
Painting on white wall of two hands. A dark hand lays curled up on a bed, and a light hand leans over from off the bed to caress other hand. Behind the light hand is a window with palm trees and the ocean
January 29, 2025 at 6:05 PM