A solo show, Family Tree, of new abstract landscapes in oil-based enamel by Burlington artist Jodi Whalen will be featured at The Gallery at Main Street Landing, 60 Lake St, Burlington, VT. The show will run from March 9-31, 2012. An opening reception will take place on Friday, March 9, from 6pm-9pm.Whalen, whose grandfather was a sign painter by trade, inherited his hand made paint brushes when he passed away. As a tribute to him and as an homage to this dying craft, Whalen created a stunning new body of work with his special French brushes and classic sign painter's paint.
The show consists of large scale paintings of landscapes featuring trees in many forms. The complexity and simplicity of trees is communicated through the abstraction of the original image and the elementary shapes of the finished product. The figurative entanglements of the family and the literal entanglements of the branches of trees come through in these simple yet strong paintings.
The tree, in its simplicity, is very similar visually to the letter, with strong lines, lovely curves, and steady form. Like different letter styles, different types of trees communicate different messages. The bent elm, the healthy oak in its prime, the stand in November: all, like a script font, a bold headline font, or a classic serif tell their stories simply and beautifully.This is Jodi Whalen's first solo show. Whalen is a self-taught artist with a background in marketing and graphic design at Vermont microbreweries. She is currently the co-owner of August First Bakery in Burlington, VT. Whalen began painting abstract works on her back porch in the summer of 2007, and quickly gained recognition for her unique voice behind the brush. She has been invited to participate in The Art of Giving, a juried show, for three years running. Her work has been purchased enthusiastically by people throughout the country. Whalen's instinctual spontaneity that comes from her unrestrained outlook results in art that is honest, borderless, and pure.
ARTIST'S STATEMENT:
Family Tree
My grandfather was a sign painter who worked at the same shop for over 40 years. When he died, I inherited his kit of supplies, including dozens of beautiful hand made brushes. I always admired his craft, and saw the shapes and simple colors of his lettering as an art form.
This body of work is created with his brushes, and classic oil-based sign painter's enamel paint, as a tribute to my grandfather and his generation of artist sign makers. The tree was chosen as a subject because one day, after meditating outside, I watched a large tree bend in the wind. An awareness of “All it has to do is grow” came to me, and profoundly changed my view of my own life, my own strength, and my own purpose. Within the process of painting and honoring my grandfather’s craft I started to see the similarities between our subjects.
A tree, in its simple lines, is very similar visually to the letter, with strong bands, lovely curves, and steady form. Like different letter styles, different types of trees communicate different messages. The shapes of the bent elm, the healthy oak in its prime, the stand of birch in November: all, like a script font, a bold headline font, or a classic serif convey their messages simply and beautifully. The deep iconography of the tree as heritage is of course clear now but in this case it was not preconceived as much as it was a pure outgrowth of the process- an embodied reflection on growth, craft and family.As an artist, I challenged myself to grow with this body of work. The brush work was done freehand, with no masking or tape to create the clean lines. I had to root myself physically to the studio floor in order to maintain a steady hand. I had to stretch myself like a tree does to work with a challenging medium that was brand new to me, with brushes that were both perfect yet particular in their old age.
With stained hands, a tired back, and long days watching stunning lines magically appear on my canvas, my love for my grandfather and his art form has grown.
-- Jodi Whalen
Images, top to bottom: Autumn's Welcome, 36x48"; Road To Jericho, 48 x 36"; Tree Lake, 36x48"; Winter Orchard, 12x24"
