Amy Whitman

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.

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.

All of these portraits are acrylic on canvas.

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.