A Convocation of Color
Showing until August 28, 2022
Ed Whitmore creates patina works that evoke the passage of time and suggest ideas of loss and decay. He utilizes metal effects paints that oxidize, creating subtle shades of brown, green and blue.
MEET THE ARTIST
Ed Whitmore
Themes of decay and loss permeate Ed’s art and are reflected in his choice of medium, the evocative build up of patina that develops as a result of the oxidation of iron copper and bronze metal effects paint.
Both of Ed’s parents were born in Poland and survived the complete destruction of their families and their way of life. Ed was born in the Bronx and spent his formative years living in Paterson, New Jersey, an industrial city that was home to past triumphs but now a place of gloom and hopelessness. He often incorporates materials that evoke a lost past in his paintings and sculpture such as reclaimed barn wood, vintage wrought iron and old letterpress trays.
​
Mark Rothko’s large color field paintings have been a big influence on Ed’s art. Ed tries in his own work to capture some of that ineffable sense of awe that Rothko’s work evokes. He seeks to create paintings that transcend the familiar and elicit emotion regarding the sublime.
ARTIST STATEMENT
"I work with metal effects paints (iron, copper, bronze) which change color as they oxidize, creating patina in subtle shades of brown, green and blue. The accumulation of paint evokes the passage of time and suggests loss and decay. To give my pieces an authentic feeling of the past, I often incorporate vintage objects for my canvass, such as letterpress trays, which hearken back to abandoned technology when lead type was set by hand. I sometimes hand chisel wood planks prior to painting which gives the work a 3D effect and has distant echoes of the bas relief panels chiseled in stone from ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt.
​
My process is often spontaneous, allowing the imagery to evolve naturally, ensuring my subject matter will be fluid and unique each time. This serves to draw the viewer into the painting and invites them to assign personal meaning and universal context. I attempt to create paintings that transcend the familiar and try to infuse the work with anima, the vital principle or animating force within all living things.
​
I collect and tumble semi-precious stones which I use to ornament my paintings and sculptures. The agate, garnet and jasper enhance the colors of the oxidized metal effects paint. For those attuned to the spiritual and metaphysical properties of minerals, the work exudes positive calming energy."
​
- Ed Whitmore