John Whalley Art at Lord Hall Galleries Feb. 8-March 21
Contact: Laurie Hicks, (207) 581-3247/ 561-3354; George Manlove, 581-3756
ORONO — The UMaine Department of Art is hosting an exhibit of drawings and paintings by Maine artist and American realist John Whalley at the Lord Hall Galleries Feb. 8-March 21.
An opening reception for “In Plain Sight, Drawings and Paintings by John Whalley” is scheduled Feb. 15, 5:30-7 p.m. An artist talk is scheduled at the gallery on the Orono campus from 5:30-6:30 p.m., Feb. 14. All events are free and open to the public. The newly renovated Lord Hall is completely accessible.
Whalley is known for his skillfully detailed and precise graphite drawings and still-life paintings. His inspiration and subject matter are derived from his appreciation for the hidden beauty he sees in the worn, weathered and often discarded mundane objects he finds near his home in Damariscotta, Maine.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Whalley graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design, and has traveled extensively. In art and in life, Whalley seeks to “discover the beautiful in unlikely places,” he has said.
After spending many years helping to establish an orphanage in Sao Paolo, Brazil, where he and others, including his two sons, helped nurture and teach art to abandoned street children — who Whalley calls “discarded kids” — the artist’s work now incorporates “forgotten tools.”
In the last 30 years, Whalley’s drawings and paintings have been exhibited widely across the United States, and his work was the subject of a major retrospective exhibition at the Georgia Museum of Art in 2001. He recently published a book about his work, John Whalley, In New Light, which is available at the University of Maine Bookstore, Borders and through Whalley’s website (www.johnwhalley.com).
Whalley also was recently featured on the television show “Bill Green’s Maine.”
The exhibit and associated events are sponsored by the Art Department and a grant from the UMaine Cultural Affairs/Distinguished Lecture Series.
For exhibit information, contact the UMaine Department of Art at (207) 581-3245.
The Lord Hall Gallery is open 8 a.m. — 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
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