Paul Whittaker Slides Resume Artist Statement Photography Statement For information, contact: Paul Whittaker 825 Main St. Evanston, IL 60202 Phone: 847-492-8548

Artist Statement Visual appeal is important: I want my art to work as decoration. I like bright colors and I use as many as I can. I do not inhibit myself with preconceived notions of what art should or shouldn't be: if it looks good, it is good. Some of my themes come from my professional training as a biologist - drawing birds or other wildlife in heightened, expressionistic colors. I also do geometric designs using organic colors and semi-abstract "figurative" pieces where I merge human features with plants, machines or animals. If there is some statement to be drawn from this, perhaps it is the need to reestablish our commonality with other living things and to create a viable "folk art" for an age of computerization and technology. Most of my works are mixed media on watercolor paper. I start with a water-soluble layer (ink, gouche, watercolor), add oil and or chalk pastel and then finish with colored pencil. This allows me to mix and overlap the different layers and develop interwoven themes within each piece. I often start with a highly symmetric watercolor layer and overlay a fractal pattern over that, or I may start a "representational" piece with expressionisteic, "nonsense" colors and then use more realistic colors in the outer layers. The idea is to develop a variety of potential "meanings" which are open interpretation for the viewer. Other possibilities take shape within this context: humor, social commentary, the expression of feelings which don't translate into words. We are what we see: by finding beauty in unlikely places, we open the door to joy regardless of our circumstances.