Clearing, oil on panel, 16.5 x 17.5", 2004
Tomato, Glass of Grapes, oil on panel, 12.5 x 12", 2004
Lakeside, oil on panel, 14 x 20", 2004
Pastures, oil on panel, 12 x 15", 2004
Whittier Wright will be exhibiting landscape and still life paintings at the george billis Gallery. Wright's primary artistic influence is Paul Cezanne. The artist says of Cezanne's work, "This painter keeps returning to watch the peaches, so present, so immediate." Wright achieves a sense of immediacy with his paint handling technique. Although Wright's brushwork appears loose, his aim is presence. Wright lends his paintings a sense of solidity, never attempting to hide the physical nature of the paint. Wright's new work follows the tradition of painter as observer of form. Wright believes that painting can explore the nature of an object and the space enveloping it. Each passage is designed to build integrated compositions in order to create a sense of harmony. Much like Cezanne, he strives to create "painted realizations of form."
Whittier Wright studied architecture at the Rhode Island School of Design before graduating with a degree in painting in 1976. He became inspired to pursue painting when he saw a retrospective exhibition of Cezanne still life paintings on a backpacking trip through Europe.
