Artist Statement

Natural phenomena and perceptions of their beauty are dominant themes of my artwork. I aim to portray the beauty that is revealed in forms from nature whose life or usefulness has presumably expired. I gather fallen leaves, flowers, moss, bark, lichen, seed pods, mushrooms, butterflies and moths, algae and seaweed on my walks in the woods and along the shore to weave into my mixed media art. Drawing, photography, painting, collage and stitching is incorporated with botanic eco-printing, a methodology using leaves and flora to create unpredictable and imperfect chemical imprints on fabric and paper. As humans, we are intrinsically drawn to common perceptions of beauty, like colorful flowers or a perfect, untarnished shell. But I am inspired by the intrinsic beauty of the detritus, flotsam, discarded, deteriorating and overlooked flora, fauna and fungi. These elements from my nature walks may no longer have life, but they are evidence of life, and they are beautiful. These processes align well with my instincts to forage, gather and collect forms in nature and portray them in unexpected ways in my artwork.

Artist Biography

Bryant Whelan is an award-winning mixed-media artist living on the Southern coast of the United States in Fairhope, Alabama. Whelan received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Auburn University and has continued her studies in printmaking, collage and painting in professional workshops in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the Gulf Coast, and Scotland. Whelan is a member of Mississippi Art Colony, and is the former executive director of the Mary C. O’Keefe Cultural Center in Ocean Springs as well as the Eastern Shore Art Center in Fairhope, Alabama. Whelan has received numerous awards for her work and teaches workshops along the Gulf Coast. Her fine art can be found in in private collections throughout the country.

bryantwhelan.com
@bryantwhelan