San Diego Art Exhibition Features RU Alumnus' Work
Radford University alumnus Shaun Whiteside, M.F.A. '11, is an artist on the move.
Two of Whiteside's works were featured in New Action in Painting, art exhibition through June 2 at Garage 4141, a gallery in San Diego.
The exhibition was a nationwide collection of works from abstract painters. The gallery describes itself as a showcase venue for artists who deserve a platform but, because of their artistic form or content, may not have the opportunity for public exposure.
Whiteside said his work employs physical forces designed to "explore the metaphysical realm of emotionality" through the creative process. "Both the emotions I depict and the process I use are rooted in natural energies. Therefore I refer to my work as a New Naturalism," he said.
Whiteside said he prefers to create on a vertical, horizontal or slightly inclined surface, using gravity to develop his images.
A gallery in California exhibited two of RU alumnus Shaun Whiteside's paintings, "Carbon" and "Igneous."
"Rather than using 'naturalism' in the traditional aesthetic sense—in reference to a precise duplication of nature’s outward appearance—I explore a concept of naturalism that involves obedience to natural forces," Whiteside said.
The pieces displayed in San Diego—"Carbon" and "Igneous"—both incorporate the natural processes of water erosion and sedimentation to determine a visual outcome, Whiteside said. Pigments are swept away from certain areas of the painting, then deposited in others where water accumulates and evaporates.
Several of Whiteside's paintings are in private collections across Virginia. Among his other notable achievements were a best-in-show award at the 2010 Biennial Exhibition of the Peninsula Fine Arts Center in Newport News and a 2011-12 fellowship from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond.
More information about Whiteside's original works, influences and upcoming shows is on his Facebook page.