On the Beach, oil on canvas, 38 x 48"
Doug Whitfield is fascinated with the concept of individual perception of reality, dreams and alternative realities. His approach to painting is informed by classical technique but is instinctive and playful. There is whimsy combined with real-world grit in the subject matter. In his dancing couples and shortened figures, he questions the notions of loveliness and the grotesque, creating endearing protagonists that fall outside the norms of accepted beauty.
He explains, “My compositions are dreamlike; they blur myth, history and fantasy together. My characters gesture to you dramatically and strike romantic poses. They are cognizant of you, just as you are of them. In my ambiguous dramas, the beautiful and grotesque seem but two sides of the same coin. The point of these juxtapositions, other than for your delight, is to engage the power of your imagination to reconcile the ambiguity. My performers beg you to step onto their stage and play along with them in my fantastic theater.”
Enchanted Evening, oil on canvas, 48 x 38"
Sea of Flotsam, oil on canvas, 38 x 48"
Whitfield was born into a family of artists in 1945, Cleveland. He studied at the Cleveland Institute of Art, Mohawk Valley Community College, Rochester Institute of Technology and Syracuse University. He received his AAS in design in 1965 and BFA in painting in 1968. Whitfield’s work has been exhibited in solo exhibitions throughout the United States as well as in Europe and Asia.
Hanky Panky, a solo show of the artist’s new and recent paintings, runs through November 8 at Brumfield Gallery in Astoria, Oregon. —
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Represented by Brumfield Gallery
1033 Marine Drive | Astoria, OR 97103
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