Amy Whitman

These colorful, graphic portraits are done in ink on paper. They were conceived on a long trip to California. I wanted to spend some time drawing and began creating and doodling colorful patterns which morphed into a collection of colorful portraits. They are also a nod to my obsessions with fashion magazine layouts, detail, and stylish ladies and gentlemen.

These unique portraits began with leftover paper scraps from a previous project. I made one and was so intrigued with the process that the collection kept growing. I begin each portrait by using photographs (some taken, some found) as a reference. I use a variety of papers that are torn, cut and molded and layer them piece-by-piece over an initial sketch. I build each face by affixing the paper to the canvas with a light acrylic varnish, which not only renders many of the papers transparent, but also allows the colors and texture of the papers to blend together. This part of the process is always the most fun as the wet paper begins to look and feel like layers of skin and the piece takes on sculptural qualities. To manipulate the wet papers, I use clay tools and surgical forceps. As the paper dries, the face can become almost mask-like. A solid, painted background highlights each face.

All of these portraits are acrylic on canvas.

This collection was inspired by the amazing people in my life. They go about their own lives in many capacities, but this series portrays them as I see them. Young urban professionals become royalty and a surgeon becomes a Native American Medicine Man. In these images, I am creating a fantasy world for some of my favorite people. Acrylic and ink on canvas.

Calligraphy is my life long love. Letterforms and their endless possibilities are very hypnotic to me.  The idea that these lines and curves join together to make a language is fascinating and powerful. I enjoy manipulating letters into shapes or marrying meaningful quotes with an image. 

My abstracts are all about color. I am inspired by things in my daily life that morph into different images in my head and spill onto the canvas. I rarely have a plan of design, preferring to let the brush take over and see where we go.  

In the life of every artist, a still life or two must be. I am drawn to the shape and curve of organic things.