52 | FEBRUARY 9 • 2023
ARTS&LIFE
ON THE COVER
Prince’s love symbol, which he sold just three
weeks later to his friend and former band mate,
Ian Miles, a Prince-obsessed successful guitar
master.
Wineman cherishes the memories of his
paternal Grandmother Connie Wineman,
affectionately known to her seven grandkids
as “Darzie.
” She passed away in 2008 at age 90.
Over Dinty Moores at Ember’s or Stage Deli,
the two would regularly discuss music and the
arts while Wineman tried to find his footing in
the industry.
“I played the soundtrack to Prince’s Purple
Rain for this funky, hip 88-year-old when I was
19,
” Wineman said of his grandmother, who
was a DIA docent well into her 80s. “She always
appreciated me creatively and supported and
cared so much about me. She was my biggest
fan, and I was hers.
”
Wineman knows she’s kvelling down on his
next chapter as contemporary painter whose
pieces are rooted in social issues, addiction,
mental health and the inner child. Under his
artist pseudonym “WolfGangGang,
” a tribute
to his son, Wineman has painted more than
200 works and sold 85 of them to collectors.
In October 2022, Wineman had his first solo
exhibition at the Laughlin Gallery in Highland
Park, Illinois, called the Neuroplasticity
Collection.
“They’re all based on the transition from
substance-drenched brain to sobriety,
” said
Wineman. “My style is controlled chaos. It’s
colorful, intuitive, messy, big, intense, loud.
There’s a lot of hidden messages and knowledge
that I gained over the years. There’s lots of
history in my painting of things in my life that
keep me going. It’s my brand of insanity.
”
After the Highland Park July 4th parade mass
shooting happened six months ago, just 10
minutes from where Wineman and his wife and
son live, his painting style started to take on a
different tone.
“It became darker and mysterious, yet
playful and honest. It was important for me to
be an ally to my community in which I work,
play and foster these great relationships with
other Jewish people. With public antisemitism
running rampant in our country at a rate that
we haven’t seen in decades, I strive to continue
to learn about my Jewish heritage and find out
what it means to live life as a Jew,
” Wineman
says.
DETROIT HOMECOMING
Following Wineman’s great success at his solo
Illinois exhibition, Metropolitan Museum
Jamie Wineman’s untitled new work includes a depiction of Jewish history in Detroit. It will
be for sale at Neuroplasticity+ show.
ELAINE MELKO
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