Wil Pratt
William Lee Pratt (Wil) was born December 31, 1974 in Red Deer, Alberta, the youngest of four with three older sisters. As a child he was deeply passionate about comic books, music, wrestling, and comedy. These passions would carry on throughout his life, and would be highly influential in his life and his works.
In his mid-teens, Wil moved to Edmonton, Alberta, which he would call home — mostly — for the rest of his life and make many long-lasting friendships. The community he helped form in Edmonton is a major factor in the creation and continuation of his legacy via the Peace Love Infinity legacy fund.
Over the years, Wil would hone is skills as an artist, continuing his love of comic books but also expanding into other forms of art such as abstract acrylic painting, sculpture, and digital art. He produced many pieces in many mediums; more than can be summarized here.
He published several well-received comic books, some in collaboration with Low Budget Comix, and others entirely self-published (see the comics anthology project). Over many years he would create acrylic paintings which he would sell at local art shows but often give away to friends. Later, he branched out into various forms of sculpture and clothing design; some of which would form the beginnings of one of his more ambitious projects: Cussin' Bootz (see the Cussin' Bootz project).
Wil passed away unexpectedly on September 6, 2022. His passing was a shock to his friends, family, and community. In mourning, a celebration of his life was quickly organized and held on September 22, 2022. The event was widely attended and was a testament to the impact Wil had on the lives of those around him.
He will be missed.
The Artist, In His Own Words
Not long before his passing, Wil created a raw and detailed account of his life as an artist which he used as his artist statement when showing his work. The work is, itself, a piece of art and is a testament to his creativity.
Below is the statement itself which was done as a digital illustration. However, due to the amount of small text, a transcription follows it below.
...About the artist..NAY!..The MAKER!
01•27•2022
William Lee Pratt is a differently-abled maker, Earth-based for far too long. Knowing our Pale Blue Dot of a planet is Mostly Harmless, his heart is in the Pleiades. His path to makerdom began as a homeless transient youth, trading scribbles for food. In 1996, he co-founded Low Budget Comix with paulcoyle.com. A 5 month excursion to South Korea led to the discovery of chalk pastels. Painting with brushes instead of spray cans came next, swiftly followed by the wonderful world of polymer clay!! Building worlds was a wild trip until gravity brought reality crashing down in the form of a cinder block on his face while sleeping. He recommends NOT seeing your own skull or pulling your face back together. Not conducive to good mental health. 2007 the last months of the Red Strap Art Market..In a haze of cheap wine & survivor' guilt, the ABSURD movement & collective was conceived with a pile of random junk, a mummified mouse, a dusty dead pigeon, and Nat Danchuk!! But again, the real world had reared it's ugly head..Beer replaced water. Love became rage. A decade+ long battle ensued. Not feeling worthy of being sober. Numb. Afraid to sleep. Can't look in a mirror without seeing bone & gallons of blood. The blurry spot in the left eye is no problem the doctor sez in 2016..An opportunity for change. Employment in childcare brings stability and hope. His wee kitten was a full-sized thunderstorm named Nimbus Yakisaki. He made his dream costume: an all-leather Daredevil and began collaborating with Jesse Ryon for numerous costumed exploits, including Bob The Angry Flower, and the I Don't Carebear. Teaching kids to build halloween instead of buying it was the next mission. In spring, their neighbourhood to follow suit. Electronic music experiments produced the unreleased album Mutant Mediation Medleys by PYLZOWYRZ. His acrylic painting techniques evolved. He discovered how-to videos on YouTube and then... 2017: the opioid crisis claimed his nephew William Douglas Lee Beamish. His survivor's guilt is exponentially amplified. Alcohol found an empty void to fill. Dec 27, 2018 he has a stroke. Pinched nerve was nothin', right. Just a blurry spot. Psychologists say I'm an anomaly. The tide of the battle ebbs & flows. (???) Love took hold. On Nov. 11 2020, he expelled the fermentation demon. It was at this time he bought his first roll of EVA foam. Brucie, a Frankenstein's monster, was his first sober creation. The spark of something more... Jan 2021: a job with @kevodegreivo necessitated learning a new skill set. Enter the brother LS-2129 sewing machine. This was when Willie Lee found love and self-worth. The maker began his journey.
The mission is clear. Life is too short. Make fun things ' dance while we can!!
— Wil, '22