Artist William Whiting returns
By Cory Caulfield Special to the Rappahannock News
'For inspiration he takes many drives through the countryside'Caulfield Gallery in Washington, Va., is pleased to host an exhibition of new works from renowned Piedmont painter William Whiting. The show will run from Oct. 3 through Oct. 27.
The gallery is celebrating this long-awaited exhibition with an opening artist’s reception on Saturday, Oct. 4, from 2-6 p.m. The public is invited to meet the artist and enjoy refreshments.
Whiting is well known for his breathtaking scenes of the Piedmont region and many art lovers are excited to see his return to Rappahannock for this solo show, having not shown here for nearly two years. In addition to a handful of small still lifes, his new exhibit will focus almost entirely on Rappahannock landscapes. The gallery already has had quite a number of people stop by for a peek at some of the paintings before the show begins.
For inspiration, Whiting takes many drives through the countryside and captures images in his mind’s eye. Once he has a true mental picture of what he wants a painting to be, he begins, often painting late into the night. With many images in his mind he works on up to 10 paintings at a time.
A native of Clarke County, Va., Whiting grew up surrounded by the beauty of the Shenandoah Valley and the Piedmont region. Although occasionally painting still life compositions, florals and street scenes, the focus of his work continues to be landscapes.
Whiting’s painting style has been described as a combination of realism and impressionism. He captures the fleeting light and color of a scene so accurately that one cannot help but feel transported to that very spot.
“Mr. Whiting’s paintings capture the bucolic nature of our area; peace and serenity come over me when I stand in front of one of his paintings. I feel as though I have come home,” said photographer Janis Stone, on a recent visit to the gallery.
“Experience is the best teacher I think,” Whiting said. “All artists are always seeking to capture that elusive magic moment when what is before you comes to life. I try to preserve an element of randomness in my painting process by scraping with a palette knife, blending with a large brush or adding an arbitrary color that might mimic nature itself. Nature is always the ultimate inspiration. It is these moments of magic and infinite possibilities born in the creative process that keeps me painting.”
After receiving a B.A. from the University of Virginia, Whiting spent time in Europe and California and credits early California artists, such as Edgar Payne, Maurice Braun and Alson Clarke as very influential in his artistic direction. He considers himself to be self-taught, however, relying on over 30 years of experience as a painter.
Caulfield Gallery is located at 325-B Middle Street next to The Inn at Little Washington. Please contact the gallery at (540) 675-3214 for more information.