John Whitney

"Emotion is the bond between the art work and the viewer. This necessary psychological essence is the basis of my work. The paintings are selected with multiple stories and complex views to add physical movement within the work. If all goes well, there will be an entertaining friend that will form a dialogue with the viewer from this window on the wall."

- John Whitney, November 1, 2008

John Whitney paints with very finely ground pigments, no matter what the medium. This method was taught to Whitney by an incredible egg tempera artist, Robert Green, who ground all his own pigments because 'all the paint made commercially was inferiorly ground.' This method of painting with very fine grinds creates vivid colors and a transparent quality in the work. In order to see or feel the structure under the surface of the subject, Whitney paints with a transparency. In contrast, opaque does not exist. There is nothing in life that has only a surface. Opaque painting should only be used as a contrasting accent. Painting with transparency captures the reflections of the environment as all colors interact with the colors around them. Acrylic paint has a natural opaqueness. To compensate for this, it is applied in thin layers to achieve the effect of transparency. Whitney was taught by masters that anything can be a painting tool. Surface descriptions must be made by a wide variety of implements to execute a major statement.

John Whitney's work is a fusion between surrealism and abstraction using dreamscapes as a base. The idea for the pieces comes from the inner-self of the subject and then works to outward. Whitney executes this by starting with rendition of emotion that is transformed on a surface as a total abstraction. The expressive composition is built first with line, then shape, color, form, and lastly, movement. Next, Whitney develop relatable reference points that give work multiple focal points, such as the description of a face or hands. This portrayal is left to draw an interaction with and be completed by the viewer.

Original Artwork
Summer Days etching and drypoint 10 x 8 inches SOLD		Juggler etching and drypoint 9 x 6 inches SOLD		Cafe etching and drypoint 10 x 8 inches SOLD
The Park monoprint 21 x 14 inches		Noticed monoprint 20 x 14 inches		Fun with Friends monoprint 18 x 12 inches
Waiting monoprint 20 x 10 inches		Threshold monoprint 21 x 10 inches		Break monoprint 20 x 10 inches SOLD
Beach Hand monoprint 12 x 18 inches SOLD		Watching monoprint 21 x 10 inches SOLD		Kneeling drypoint etching printed in color 6 x 3 inches
Compassion drypoint etching printed in color 4 x 6 inches SOLD		Oboe Player drypoint etching printed in color 6 x 4.5 inches		Fanfare drypoint etching printed in color 10 x 8 inches
Aloft drypoint etching printed in color 8 x 6 inches SOLD		Entertainer mixed media on paper 20 x 10 inches		First Light mixed media with oil based etching ink and graphite 19 x 13 inches
Asleep mixed media with oil based etching ink and graphite 21.5 x 10.5 inches		Let's See mixed media on paper 10.5 x 8.5 inches		Soup watercolor 7 x 5 inches
Mirror etching 4.5 x 3.5 inches SOLD		Listening watercolor 6.5 x 4.5 inches SOLD		Flowered Hat watercolor 7 x 6 inches
Sitting on a Wall mixed media on paper 19 x 13 inches		Holding Hands mixed media on paper 19.5 x 10 inches		Cafe mixed media on paper 21.5 x 14.5 inches