Biography
Alice Whealin is an Arlington, Virginia-based artist
who paints primarily in ink, watercolor and acrylics. Sacred spaces in nature and the emotions in human faces have become important sources that offer inspiration in her works of late
Whealin's current paintings explore emotional and psychological aspects of the human spirit. She explores sources of nurture and renewal
Whealin employs additive and subtractive painting processes, layering color and form. She develops visual suggestions of the natural environment or human or animal biology
Whealin has exhibited her artwork extensively in the Washington metropolitan area. She has exhibited at The Painting Center in New York and at the Museo Della Carta in Fabriano, Italy. She has artworks in the permanent collection of the Museo Della Carta, Fabriano, Italy and in private collections. Whealin was awarded a Teaching Fellowship to attend The School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA. She was selected for a six year studio residency at the Arlington Arts Center, VA
Whealin held her most recent solo exhibition, Ebullience, at the Fred Schnider Gallery in Arlington, VA. This past year, Whealin participated in exhibitions at Loyola University (Art & Spirituality,) MD, Transformer Gallery (Transcendence) at American University, DC and the Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington (Between You and Me,) VA. Whealin maintains her studio in Arlington, VA
Statement
I make artworks inspired by landscape, human and animal biology. Themes surrounding the survival of the human spirit are linked to the central role that nature has had in my work for many years
I express ideas of the natural environment as a source of nurture. The emotions I observe in human faces have become important sources of inspiration in my works of late. My current paintings explore emotional and psychological aspects that I see and recall vividly in various people. Emotional responses to each depiction of a face is affected by the memories of emotions that each observer brings to the experience
I apply ink and watercolor directly onto my surfaces, developing compositions over the course of weeks or months
My practice includes photographing local sky, natural light and landscape elements daily. These images become a source for light, line, form, color and content in my paintings
By combining gestural drawing, saturated color, and organic forms, I create lively and meticulously structured abstract artworks
The survival of the human spirit continues to be a central theme in my work. Within these serious themes, I strive for an ebullience that offers spiritual renewal
