JOHN WHALLEY: THINGS AS THEY ARE
August 6 - September 26, 2026
Artist talk - September 10th 6pm
Artist Statement
John Whalley, “Things As They Are”
I’ve been a collector of objects all my life, most of them originating many years ago, when art and craftsmanship, not mere utility, were central considerations in forming a thing. Some of these were handed down to me from previous generations of my family. Others, my wife Ellen and I have happened upon on our many forays to Maine’s flea markets and junk shops, “destined for the dustbin” they say. I like how G. K. Chesterton, remembering a favorite childhood book, pictures these things as the objects ‘washed up on the beach,” like those found by Robinson Crusoe after the wreck of his ship, made the more precious to him because they had survived, nearly becoming, as he put it, “might-not-have beens.” And so many of the things in my collections are comprised of objects that have survived, were not lost to time, and which bear patinas of long use and touch, carrying meanings in their design which they were created to fulfill. As a kind of playwright or casting director, I follow intuitions and clues that lead me to compositions that often surprise even myself. As a child, I remember exploring the contents of a trunk that my father brought back from navy days in the South Pacific - tropical sea shells, a Japanese flag, a yellowed navy uniform, a deck of cards, a pocket knife shaped as a woman’s leg. I imagined the stories that each thing held for me, and my father’s reasoning for filling the ark of that trunk with his chosen creatures. And this touches upon my own reason for assembling these things and rendering them in pencil or paint. The theme of redeeming a thing from being lost, and portraying it as a thing of unexpected beauty - counter-intuitive; yet often the best parts of those stories that stay with us. Some of the other pieces, the land and sea scapes, interiors and portrait were other subjects that caught my interest, and they speak for themselves. My hope in these works is to cause the viewer to stop and study the forms and colors, and to consider what stories these ‘things as they are’ might have been given new life to tell.
Advancing the tradition of American realists and acknowledging the Dutch masters, John Whalley’s paintings go well beyond mere technique. His work exudes tremendous warmth, luminosity and charm. He responds to what he calls “the beauty that speaks softly.” Whalley was born in Brooklyn, New York and currently lives in midcoast Maine. He received his BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1976.
Whalley’s work is included in many national and international collections, including those of the Portland Museum of Art, the Bates Museum of Art, the Colby College Museum of Art in Maine, the Museum of Biblical Art in Dallas, Texas, the Puratos World Heritage Library in Saint Vith, Belgium, the Georgia Museum of Art in Athens, Georgia, and the Kemper Museum of Art in Kansas City.
