Robert Wyland (born July 9, 1956), commonly known as Wyland, is an American artist best known for his 100 Whaling Walls, large outdoor murals featuring images of life-size whales, and other sea life.^[1]

Life and career

A native of Madison Heights, Michigan, Wyland began painting as a child and attended Detroit's Center for Creative Studies in the 1970s.^[2] Wyland's connection with whales began when he was 14 on a visit with his family to Laguna Beach, California where he saw the ocean for the first time and witnessed several gray whales migrating down the California coast towards Mexico.^{[citation needed]} In 1977 he moved to Laguna Beach and in 1981 painted the first of his 100 Whaling Walls at a Laguna Beach parking lot.^{[citation needed]}

By 1997, his commercial work (sold through 25 Wyland galleries) and licensed merchandise sold at zoos and other outlets had become a multimillion-dollar business.^[3][4] His artwork has been used on specialty license plates in California and Florida and for a series of four United nations stamps issued in 2010 to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission.^[5][6]

In 1993, he founded the non-profit Wyland Foundation "to help children rediscover the wonder of the ocean through art" (according to Steve Creech, the foundation's Executive Director)^[7] and to finance his Whaling Wall murals.^[8]Wyland's 100th and final Whaling Wall was painted in Beijing in 2008.^[9] His foundation has since expanded its work to include other environmental initiatives such as sponsorship of the National Mayor's Challenge for Water Conservation.^[10]

In 2018, Norwegian Cruise Line launched their newest cruise ship, Norwegian Breakaway. Wyland designed and painted a massive mural on the hull of the over 1,000-foot-long ship, featuring his trademark images of life-sized whales.^[11]

Wyland lives both in Laguna Beach and in Hawaii.^[12]