As an early outlet for her artistic abilities, Weatherly
developed a ceramic jewelry business that specialized in patchwork quilt
designs. Once her children were in school however, she returned to her
love of drawing and began seeking clients for illustration assignments.
Weatherly researches prospective clients who use her style of art; this may
include advertising agencies, magazines, book publishers and small
businesses. She then prepares a packet of sample illustrations and sends
them to the art director requesting a future assignment. With the use of
a telephone, fax machine and the internet, Weatherly is able to live outside a
metropolitan area and pursue her art. She has published work with
Highlights for Children, Guideposts, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, and
United Methodist Publishing House.
In her personal work Weatherly takes an ordinary scene and
twists it in a way that draws the observer into mystery and possibility.
Often she composes as one might a quilt, combining pieces of playful imagery in
a pattern surrounded by a fanciful border. She often creates a series of
paintings because her inspiration cannot be contained in one single picture
frame. This approach stems from working with art directors where she
provides several visual ideas for the given text. She notes, “I try to
add a sparkle of vitality in my work. I want viewers to experience imagination
and wonder.”
Weatherly was accepted in the Dixie Art of the Plate
Design Competition which was shown at the Museum of Arts and Design in
New
York,
NY, in 2003. She
was invited to exhibit in the Prevailing Human Spirit Exhibition at
the Society of Illustrators in
New York
in memory of 9/11, 2002.
