‘This is the coolest thing I’ve ever done’: Milwaukee-area artist creates display for the NFL Draft
Several of the NFL logos local wood artist Ike Wynter created for the draft in Green Bay.
By James Groh
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BUTLER, Wisconsin (WTMJ) — The wins just keep stacking up for one local Wisconsin artist. Ike Wynter, a wood artist, has worked with the Brewers, NHL, and now the NFL. He collaborated with the NFL to create wooden replicas of all 32 teams’ logos for the upcoming draft in Green Bay.
“This is the coolest thing I’ve ever done and maybe ever will do. How else do you top making all 32 logos for the NFL in your style of art?” he said.
Wynter is an environmentally friendly wood artist with a studio in Butler, Waukesha County. All his art is made by finding wood on the side of the street. He doesn’t paint or stain any of it. He just has to use the color of what he finds to create his art.
“This project specifically was 95 percent entertainment centers and drawers from dressers,” Wynter said.
I’ve done stories with Ike Wynter since 2021. Over those four years he has gained hundreds of thousands of social media followers, and his art has been seen across the world. He has gone viral for his pieces of Spongebob Squarepants and a Crayon box. With all of his successes, I wanted to know how this NFL gig compared to everything else he has accomplished.
“So this is the best project I’ve ever done because it was the most enjoyable. The 500 hours of cutting this wood was like the best 40 days of my life,” he said.
The icing on the cake? He has a family tie to all of this. His grandfather, Raymond Kuffel, played for the Buffalo Bills. He was drafted in 1944.
“Got hurt while playing, so then he literally just became a dentist right here in Butler, three blocks away,” Wynter said. “It’s one thing to do all this and to have the credibility from the NFL and everyone who gets to view this. But to have that personal family connection, I don’t think you could write a better script kind of.”
For those wanting to see the art at the draft, well that won’t be so easy. All 32 logos will be displayed in a walkway that only the drafted players walk through. After the draft, the pieces will go to the NFL headquarters. Wynter will continue making his art, and it will likely just be a matter of time until another extraordinary opportunity comes his way.
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