JOHN WHALLEY: TIMEWORN
August 1 - August 31, 2024
Artist Statement for Timeworn:
The idea for this show centered around my choosing objects or scenes that somehow spoke to the passage of time, of survival and endurance. Whether it be a century-old fish house on the Maine coast, things I have discovered in nature, or tools and objects collected around the state’s flea markets, yard sales or antique stores, the subjects for this show were carefully chosen to offer different stories of how time leaves its mark on all things. In some cases I have paired similar objects, to show how "members of a family" might wear the effects of time differently. One can be left imagining the activities that caused the patinas and textures etched on objects. Or in the case of the seashells, pine cones or dog skull, how these objects that once sheltered life within now take on a different kind of “life” and meaning of their own, devoid of their authors. Wrenches, forks and putty knives were put through much labor to wind up looking just so. And the watch I found on a beach at low tide set upon a worn tile inscribed with measurements spoke to me of time-keeping and the ways that we measure our time here.
Having just reached my 70th birthday, the theme of time spoke to me in a new, richer way, and I hope that this group of paintings and drawings will have something to say to the viewer as well.
~John Whalley
Advancing the tradition of American realists and acknowledging the Dutch masters, John Whalley’s paintings go well beyond mere technique. His work exudes tremendous warmth, luminosity and charm. He responds to what he calls “the beauty that speaks softly.” He was born in Brooklyn, New York and currently lives in midcoast Maine. Whalley received his BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1976.
John’s work is included in many national and international collections, including those of the Portland Museum of Art, the Bates Museum of Art, the Colby College Museum of Art in Maine; the Museum of Biblical Art, Dallas, Texas; the Puratos World Heritage Library, Saint Vith, Belgium; the Georgia Museum of Art, Athens, Georgia; and the Kemper Museum of Art, Kansas City.
Read the review HERE.
