Theresa Anacker Wohlers
An Illustrator/Author and creator of unique clay sculpture figures.
Born in Madison, Wisconsin, I grew up on a small Columbia County farm just north of Madison in a family of 11. After studying for a BFA at the University of Wisconsin Superior, I became a high school gymnastics coach at my old high school. During that time, I met and married my husband and started a family. As our three daughters went through their school years I volunteered for school projects, chaperoning field trips, leading elementary students on discovery jaunts through the school forest across the road from our home, designing and sewing costumes for musicals and show choir throughout their high school years.
During this time, I also started a freelance career in art. Portrait work and landscape pieces were my mainstays as well as sculpted costumed ornaments and larger characters. It was through these figures that I became interested in the stories they might tell.
I took a correspondence writing class through the Institute of Children’s Literature where I was introduced to SCBWI eventually becoming a member in 2013. My work gained recognition in subsequent years:
- 2016 Wisconsin SCBWI Fall Conference Illustrator Award
- 2019 Marvelous Midwest SCBWI People’s Choice Illustration Award
- 2022 #PBParty Finalist for the Illustrator Gallery
- 2023 #PBParty Finalist for the Illustrator Gallery
- 2023 #50PreciousWords Honorable Mention
- 2024 #PBParty Honorable Mention Illustrator Gallery
Contact me by emailing art.by.taw@gmail.com
Or call, 608-839-5667.
230 E. Taylor St., Cottage Grove, WI 53527
A little bit more about me:
- I enjoy biking, camping, gardening, anything outdoors really.
- Creating scavenger hunts. Reading and drawing, of course.
- I’m not a pet person, but I love watching animals in their natural habitats, and all the years I spent caring for farm animals.
- My favorite illustrator is Norman Rockwell, and way too many other children’s book illustrators to list.
- I like stories about families, friendships, adventure, but most especially stories revolving around imagination.
I live with my husband and adult daughter with Down Syndrome in an old Victorian farmhouse in Cottage Grove and enjoy it when my two other daughters and their families come to play.
