Meet Ike Wynter, Wisconsin wood artist and social media star
The Mequon resident’s muses are nostalgia and mental health awareness, and he sometimes finds ways to combine the two.
Milwaukee Brewers legend Robin Yount said he was “the luckiest guy in the world” to be drafted by the team.
When wood artist Isaac Wynter Weins – a lifelong fan of the Crew – was commissioned by the ballclub to create a custom piece in honor of Yount, he, too, felt he was pretty lucky.
“It’s one thing to work with big companies and do cool collaborations, but it’s a whole different thing when it’s about things from your hometown, things you grew up with,” said Weins, known to his massive social media following as Ike Wynter. “It’s definitely a dream come true.”
This spring marked the 50th anniversary of Yount’s debut as a Brewer, when he was 18 years old. The boy who became the face of the franchise spent his entire 20-year career with Milwaukee, where he posted a batting average of .285 and had 3,142 hits, 251 home runs and 1,406 runs batted in.
Before Sunday’s game at American Family Field, the baseball club paid tribute to Yount and his anniversary, including a 35-second standing ovation as the Baseball Hall of Famer took the field to throw out the ceremonial first pitch.
But first, in a more intimate setting next to the clubhouse, Weins – who has had a remarkable career of his own – was allowed to unveil the custom wood mosaic that he spent 75 hours creating in his Butler studio for Yount and his family.
It’s a home plate with two bats that appear to cross each other. A nameplate at the top reads “Yount #19” with a baseball above it and “50th Anniversary” with the Brewers’ glove logo below it.
Aside from a few bats given to him by the team, the artist used only reclaimed wood – Weins’s material – and his favorite tools: a scroll saw, a band saw and a sander. He cuts all the pieces so that they fit together almost like a puzzle. And he never uses stains or paints.
To bring the piece to life for Yount, Weins used wood from a school desk he found on the side of the road, wood paneling and birch plywood from dumpsters, a bulletin board from a Milwaukee elementary school, and a kitchen cabinet door from his time in Minnesota.
He knocked out the glove first and then worked his way through the piece piece by piece, he said. The baseball was one of the last pieces he tackled and had to make “tiny nicks and cuts” to create the intricate stitching.
Local artist Ike Wynter unveils the custom wood mosaic he made for Robin Yount
“Are you the artist?” Yount asked Weins in a video he shared on social media.
“I’m Robin Yount,” said the man of the hour and walked over to shake the artist’s hand.
While waiting for the big reveal, Yount joked, “I hope you made me look good,” probably expecting some sort of portrait, Weins recalled. The two-time MVP was in for quite a surprise.
After Weins peeled back a black sheet to reveal the large wooden mosaic, Yount’s reaction was, “Oh wow, very cool.”
Weins explained the piece and the complex process of creating it to Yount. Weins said Yount “really got it” and appreciated it.
Weins said he has heard from people who have followed Yount’s career in real time that he is “the greatest” both on and off the field.
“Meeting him was a testament to that,” Weins said. “The whole time we were talking and chatting, it wasn’t like we were meeting an A-list celebrity or anything. He was just a very down-to-earth guy from Milwaukee. And a community-oriented guy. And you just notice that.”
Weins also made a plaque to attach to the back of the mosaic, incorporating the pencil he used to sketch and mark the piece. “That’s great, Ike,” Yount told him.
To capture the moment, Yount, his crew and Weins posed for photos with the mosaic, which will be sent to the baseball icon’s hometown in Arizona.
And that wasn’t Weins’ only photo opportunity of the day. He was also allowed to step onto the field – something he had never done before – and visit a sentimental spot outside the stadium.
In 2003, ten-year-old Weins was allowed to play at Helfaer Field, the youth baseball field next to the Brewers’ field.
Before Sunday, Weins dug out an old photo from that exciting day showing him and his teammates outside what was then Miller Park.
When Weins was at the stadium for the unveiling, he remained standing in the same spot. For him, it was a “full circle moment.”
“Whatever you want to do or believe in, it’s doable. It’s not unattainable,” Weins said. “If you set your mind to something, you can do it. You just have to figure it out.”
If Wein’s name sounds familiar, it’s probably because he is. He was the artist behind the giant wooden Crayola crayon box that made the rounds on social media earlier this summer.
The muses of Mequon residents are nostalgia and mental health awareness.
The piece that launched Weins’ social media career a few years ago was the one he made for former boxing champion Mike Tyson. Since then, he’s made Tommy Pickles from “Rugrats,” a “Hoan Town Lager” for 414 Day, a Polaroid camera with swappable photos, Legos, a representation from “Giannis: The Marvelous Journey,” a Father’s Day surprise for “Power Ranger” singer Chance Perez and much more.
“I think, like for many of us, childhood is the best time,” Weins said in a previous interview with the Journal Sentinel. “You have so many beautiful, warm thoughts. If I can create art that makes people remember things and experiences from their childhood as adults, then I think that’s a cool opportunity.”
His own mental illness has led him to create art that raises awareness. One of these works is “YOU HAVE A PURPOSE,” a phrase Weins spells out using wooden Scrabble letters that stretch six feet. The numerical values on the letters form the Suicide Hotline, simplified to 988.
Weins’ first gallery exhibition was at Unfinished Legacy in 2023. Since then, he has exhibited pieces at the Milwaukee Night Market, the Milwaukee Athletic Club, and a private art gallery at the New York Stock Exchange.
But before Weins became a full-time artist, he lived many other lives.
He was in the hardcore metal band Narrow Hearts, which played shows at The Rave and around the country.
He founded a bulky waste disposal company with his older brother Andrew, who was formerly in the US Army and is still in the reserves.
During this time, Weins discovered art as a way to breathe new life into the reclaimed wood his company collected. And in 2021, Wynter moved to Minneapolis to pursue his passion.
Soon, however, he was dividing his time between pursuing his own dream and fulfilling the dreams of others. He landed a “dream job” working as a tour manager for the Los Angeles-based Dream Machine Foundation.
In April 2023, Weins moved back to the Milwaukee area and devoted himself full-time to his art.
You can read more about Weins and his journey here.
