About the artist:

In 1975 Wayne Ensrud was invited to be the first American painter to exhibit at the French Institute Gallery, N.YC., where he exhibited watercolors of the Bordeaux chateaux and wineyards. His renown in the wine world has led to his designing wine menus and posters for some of New York's finest French Restaurants, including Lutece, Chez Pascal and Residence. In the New York area Ensrud has received commissions to design seven life sized etched mirrors and three seven-foot canvases for the elegant restaurant Le Premier and also an engraved lucite wall for the famous restaurant Nanni II Valletto. Wayne Ensrud was born in Minnesota where he received his BFA from the Minneapolis Institute of Art. As a student he met Oskar Kokoschka, the artist-in-residence at the Institute, who profoundly influenced Ensrud's work and has remained his friend and mentor ever since. When Pablo Casals conducted his Master Class Series at Berkeley. Wayne Ensrud had the honor ot being invited to execute drawings of the great cellist during those sessions. and this year when the New York Chamber Society celebrated its 10th anniversary.Ensrud was asked to sit in on rehearsals and sketch the world famous violinists ltzhak Perlman and Pinchas Zukerman. Actress Jayne Mansfield, novelist Alex Waugh, wine connoisseur Alexis Lichine are among others who have been portrayed by Ensrud. Mr. Ensrud has been a free-lance art director and animator for ABC, CBS, and IRM IBM contracted him to he the series, "Computer and the Mind of Man", which has been translated into 18 languages and won several international awards. For ABC he created the film animations for the Gemini Space Programs. He taught film animation at Pratt Institute for tour years. Ensrud was Art Director at the University of California at Berkeley for the Department of Motion Pictures and Television and he was Executive Art Director of Channel 13-TV, New York City. Mr. Ensrud has art directed over 30 films and lust completed a film for television starring Richard Basehart. He has illustrated the writings of Odgen Nash, John O'Hara, and John Fowles for Holiday magazine and also illustrates for other magazines such as Venture, Vintage and Gourmet. Mr. Ensrud was artist-in-residence at Simon's Rock Early College in the Berkshires this past year and has been invited to be a guest teacher of Landscape Painting at that college for the past three summers. He is presently teaching at the Cumberland School, Great Neck, New York. Ensrud's individuality is positive, refreshing and clearly definitive. His subject matter is as varied as his moods whether he is doing landscape, seascape, or portraiture, an impression of a place he has seen or someth,ing he feels. Combined in his work is an explosive, versatile, extremely skillful use of color, varied emotional tensions and an uninhibited creative imagination. His best work is quite free, happy and not labored or overworked. He creates a moving, beautiful, sometimes violent impression. Ensrud's painting are distinguished by his luminous use of color and intensity. They are life affirmative, a celebration of being. Ensrud continues to believe that it is the artistic responsibility to reveal through color the truth and spirit in every form. Awards: Oscar D'Italia; Lever House Award; Minnesota Hall of Fame; Rothschild Design Award; Grappileur du Beaujolais; Compagnon du Beaujolais; Commandeur du Bontemps de Medoc et des Graves. Teaching and Lecturing: Pratt Institute; Cumberland School; Simon's Rock Early College. Guest Speaker Engagements: Minneapolis College of Art and Design ("The Creative Process") ONE-MAN SHOWS Galerie Esmeralda, Paris Galleria Piero, Florence Fine Gallery, San Francisco Modern Masters Gallery, New York City Automation House. New York City The Coffee House Club, New York City Sherry-Lehman, New York City French Institute Gallery, New York City Maas Brothers, St. Petersburg and Tampa, Florida Peach Tree Center, Atlanta, Georgia Gallery of Art, Panama City. Florida New Library. South Hill, Virginia Bristol Art Museum, Rhode Island Simons Rock College Loring Gallery, New York City GROUP SHOWS Minneapolis Museum of Art Oakland Art Museum, California National Arts Club, New York City Five Uptown Independent Artists, New York City Eric Schindler Gallery, Richmond, Virginia Meyers Gallery, Chevy Chase. Maryland Hailer Gallery, New York City Five Uptown Independent Artists, Boston Venable-Neslage Gallery, Washington, D.C. Gallery 306, Philadelphia PRIVATE COLLECTIONS Burgess Meredith Serge Sabarsky Mrs. Wirt Morton Governor of Trinidad Mr. and Mrs. Vladimir Ossipoff Sam Aaron Alec Waugh Mr. and Mrs. John Farrar Alexis Lichine Annie Knize Contessa Borghese Alice Aboody Mr. and Mrs. Lou Friedland Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Berger Pinchas Zukerman