WITH a formal art education and a career in painting, Wilfred Spoon has no shortage of inspiration to inform his work. American art and primitivism, Gothic and pre-Renaissance painting all have a hand in shaping his deeply pigmented, often fanciful paintings. The Charleston artist and Charlotte, North Carolina, native’s subjects include nature and birds, still lifes, interiors, even fantasy.

What he appreciates most about his master’s degree education at Parsons has been learning all the rules, and then making an informed departure from them when he chooses. “What I enjoy most is a primitive approach,” he says. “You’re not trying to paint the apple; it’s more what the apple feels like, your interpretation of the apple.”

In addition to his own painting, the artist also owns Carolina Fine Art Framing in Charleston’s historic Faber House, a custom picture-framing business that offers museum-quality frames designed to bring out the best in each individual piece of work.