Biography
Whealin paints with ink on paper, paper panels and transparent materials.
Her current paintings explore emotional and psychological aspects of renewal of the human spirit and ideas of natural environment as a source of nurture.
Alice Whealin earned her B.A. in Art from Rowan University, Glassboro, N.J. and a Certification in Structures from The Johnson Atelier Technical Institute of Sculpture, Princeton, NJ. She was awarded a Teaching Fellowship at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA and continued her studies in their graduate program with Tufts University, Medford, MA. Whealin moved to D.C. afterwards and has exhibited largely in the Northeastern U.S. area.
Whealin has participated in exhibitions at the Museo Della Carta, Fabriano, Italy, at Robert Brown Gallery, Washington, D.C., at The Painting Center, N.Y., N.Y., at the Katzen Arts Center, American University Museum, curated by Charlie Ritchie, Washington, D.C., at MOCA Arlington, VA, at Arnold and Porter, curated by Sarah Tanguy, and at Grizzly Grizzly, Philadelphia, PA. Her work is in the collection of the Museo Della Carta, Fabriano, Italy and in private collections. Whealin was selected for a solo at Mezz Gallery@Artisphere, Arlington, VA by curators Jayme McClellan, Jefferson Pinder, and Al Miner. Other galleries that have shown her work include The McLean Project for the Arts, McLean, VA, curated by Laura Roulet, the Mexican Cultural Institute, curated by Gaby Mizes, The Athenaeum, Alexandria, VA, curated by Twig Murray, Drawing Rooms Gallery, Jersey City, NJ, the Esther M. Klein Art Gallery, Philadelphia, PA, and the National Institutes for Health, Clinical Center Fine Art Program, Bethesda, MD, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Gallery OonH St., and Charles Krause/Reporting Fine Art, Washington, D.C.
Most recently, Whealin produced a solo exhibition, titled “Ebullience,” at the Fred Schnider Gallery, Arlington, VA, curated by David Carlson. Whealin currently lives and works in Arlington, VA.
Statement
I make artworks inspired by landscape, human and animal biology. Themes surrounding the survival of the human spirit are also linked to the central role that nature has in my work for many years.
By combining gestural drawing, saturated color, and organic forms, I create lively and meticulously structured abstract artworks.
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 and color in my paintings.
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.
