About
Corene “Nezumi” Werhane
Call me Nez.
It’s short for Nezumi, the Japanese word for mouse. Which fits me fine since I’m only three inches tall with big ears, pink tail, and a nasty biting habit. That’s not all true. I’m obviously a person (even though I bite.)
I grew up feral on Padre Island with a love for art and animals. Because there are not really any job opportunities for feral animal lovers, I got my degree in Art from Trinity University in San Antonio Texas, and now work as a freelance illustrator.
I still love animals and use them constantly as inspiration for my work. Creature design has always been my type of art, as I love the organic flow of graceful animals (especially tails) and I like to extend this flow into backgrounds and landscapes.
People often ask where I come up with my ideas. The answer is simply that my pictures are how my brain tries to translate the world as seen by my near-sighted eyes. Yes I see falling angels and giant fish. They usually turn out to be planes or some floating garbage, but that first wonderful moment when I come across the strange and bizarre is my favorite. I paint what I see so others can see it too.
My artistic journey has taken me through many fields from cake decorating to the gaming industry, but one of the fields I like the most is working in theater. I did costume and lighting work in college, and work for several years as a scenic painter after graduating. (My work can still be seen in theme parks around the country.) While working as a scenic painter I got to study under Cole Lewis and Dawn Baker, and learned many techniques that I have applied to my own work.
Though I still work in theater when the urge arises, I prefer working in digital medium because A) It’s cleaner (you have no idea how much paint gets on you when your canvas is three stories tall); and B) I love the fact that digital work is so forgiving with time. You never have to worry about paint drying too fast or waiting for it to dry. You can also do digital work with a cat in your lap and not have to worry about that errant tail messing anything up.
If you want to know more, come find me at a convention. But remember I bite.
www.artpact.com