CARRIE WHITNEY - ART WARRIOR

Current Work: Animals in Colour
2020-Present

This is going to sound a little nutty, but I think I am trying to make sense of the world with these current paintings. Covid has taken a toll on many of us, the world seems all mixed up, so it somehow makes sense that a zebra can be green and an otter blue. Looking for escape, I created a new world and a new game. I needed to make something fun, happy and beautiful. I often see beauty in oddity. I started choosing the animals I called the “under dogs”. Animals that weren’t predators or well known or maybe have a bad wrap for being "weird" like the Okapi and African anteater. Next, I chose animals that I felt have something to say, like the elephant and polar bear. Then, I singled out animals that are usually only seen in herds, like the elk or zebra, giving them a chance to shine and be noticed in a new beautiful fun way. The animals were painted in pairings because I thought they each needed a new friend; someone I thought they might have something in common with but might not recognize at first. (They don’t have to stay that way they already went to the dinner party and know where to find each other…;)

Animals are historic teachers, too. I’m pulling for them... like I am with people.
That we all have a place in the order of things like the platypus.
That we can notice our differences and embrace them as what makes us more beautiful.

And that our differences can make us better as a whole.

Contact me with inquiries ( room on waitlist, available for commissions)

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