Walt “Wali” Neil Bio
Walt Neil is an Ohio mural artist known for his murals in Columbus and Cleveland. He painted the floral design on the building at the corner of Parsons and Reinhard Avenues. He is an accomplished vocalist, drummer, and teacher of the arts. His talents have taken him on a journey around the world, teaching art and music courses in the fishing village of Ngor in Senegal, West Africa, and consultant to Harambee II, Wholistic Stress Control Institute in Atlanta, work in Jamaica, an artist-in-residence at the African American Museum in Cleveland. His art has been seen in the King Arts Complex in Columbus, a "Heal The World" festival at the Cleveland Museum of Art and at Cleveland's City Hall.
Walt Neil is an ‘Artist of the Spirit’ whose formal training ended with a high school diploma, majoring in commercial art. Mentors like Tom Pannell, Ed Colston, and Bill Agnew introduced him to the most challenging profession on earth…..’being an African American artist in America!
Despite discouraging advice from teachers, guidance counselors and family members, Walt Neil continued to travel from state to state seeking out kindred spirits which led to teaching positions in St. Thomas, the Virgin Islands, and Atlanta. Walt Neil continues to travel across the country sharing his knowledge, experience, and art with the world.
Two trips to Africa only showed Walt Neil what an unlimited future that was in store for mankind and in the cultural wealth Africa had to offer. Neil's African guide on one of his African trips named him "Wali" - a Kiswahili word meaning "friend." He enjoys teaching hungry young minds eager to learn about art.
Walt Neil is noted for his vibrant portraits, ethnic, surreal artwork, and colorful murals that have an international appeal. Walt Neil invites you to share this visual smorgasbord with family, friends, and colleagues. If you are a patron of the arts, you understand that art is to be savored daily. If you have a strong appetite for splendor, largess, and history then you will want to own a one-of-a-kind piece of art by Walt Neal.mething more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.