In his barn-like studio in Cranston, painter Richard Whitten is preparing for a solo exhibition. The show opens November 7 at Rhode Island College, where Whitten has enjoyed a long teaching career. His exhibition, titled Objects of Wonder, will be on view at RIC’s Bannister Gallery through December 6 and offers the opportunity to see a rich collection of work by a talented artist and academic. Whitten grew up in New York and earned an undergraduate degree in Economics at Yale before pursuing an MFA at the University of California, Davis, where he studied under famed painter Wayne Thiebaud. He has been the subject of numerous exhibitions, including a recent showcase at the Morris Museum in New Jersey and was the recipient of a 2023 Pollock Krasner Foundation Grant. Whitten’s paintings, which include illusionistic views of imagined machines and architectural spaces, exemplify his technical virtuosity as well as inventiveness and humor. Speaking about his painting practice, Whitten says, “The origin of these paintings was one of my early passions: building and flying ultralight indoor model airplanes in giant interior spaces that had ceilings up to 200 feet high, such as the dirigible hangars in Lakehurst, NJ. During the half-hour or more that my planes flew, I was transported into a magical world that was vast and silent but strangely full of echoes, where the restraints of gravity and time seemed greatly lessened. This pursuit engendered a love of intricate and delicate machines as well as a love of massive interior spaces. I can still feel that world, and I feel the need to share that experience through my paintings.” In his studio, Whitten procures a vintage model plane from a box and flies it across the room. It sways lazily through the air before landing at the foot of one of his large panels. The slow motion of this machine is replicated in actions occurring in his artworks. Whitten pairs his personal practice with his day job as an educator at RIC. He calls the school’s art program a “gem.” Speaking of how teaching has informed his practice, Whitten is enthusiastic, saying, “Teaching is the best way to learn! For example, I was not an art major while an undergrad. I majored in Economics, writing a thesis on determining the best economic environment for technology development and change in India. (I presented it at Harvard’s National Bureau of Economic Research). I took two years to recreate a painting major with the professors there. Nevertheless, I never took a “Basic Design” course. When I developed my version of the course, I really had to codify, understand, and be able to explain, the structure of a two-dimensional image. The ideas and theories that I developed for this course are very much the basis of my compositions.” Whitten goes on to say, “Similarly, I teach the BFA seminar on surviving as an artist. In this course, I discuss grant writing and public speaking – musts for a professional artist. I also talk about the relationship of the Artist and the Gallery or Museum. I invite Grant Writers, Gallery owners, and Museum directors to speak. I am most definitely learning right alongside my students!” Whitten’s curious and energetic mind is full of ideas. He has multiple works in progress at any time and says there are thoughts of dozens more paintings alive in his head, too. He is a productive maker. He carefully constructs intricately shaped panels and prepares them by coating them with rabbit skin glue in the style of the Old Masters. Describing what he hopes viewers take away from his exhibition at RIC, the painter says, “I create paintings which transport the viewer through the surface of the painting into a world of imagined architectural spaces populated by similarly imagined machines. These paintings invite the viewer to bring the worlds inside of them to life – to propel the machine into motion – through sight and thought alone. Even though the experience is intellectual, I hope the viewer feels the transitions as physically as possible.” He expands, “I think play is the most important human activity. I hope the viewer wants to play in the spaces that I create. I also hope the viewer wants to play with the smaller works that are more literally games without rules.” Whitten is one of the state’s most accomplished artists. His paintings offer audiences the opportunity to appreciate fine details and craftsmanship as well as implied stories and actions. His solo exhibition will bring viewers into his remarkable creative world. Richard Whitten’s exhibition Objects of Wonder will open on November 7 from 4-7pm and continue through December 6 at RIC’s Bannister Gallery. An artist talk will take place on November 21 at 5 pm. Learn more about Whitten at www.richardwhitten.com. Michael Rose is a multi-talented fine art professional based in Southern New England. Since 2014 he has served as the gallery manager at the historic Providence Art Club, one of the nation’s oldest arts organizations. Through his current freelance work he advises collectors and artists, provides appraisal services, teaches, and completes curatorial projects.
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