Laura Whitmer: Romance and Passion

Laura, we really appreciate the time you’re taking to answer our questions and let us know more about your art. Tell us about your artistic background story and if there was a pivotal moment when you decided to follow your path as a visual artist?

Ever since I can remember, I have always loved drawing and painting. It was not until about four years ago when I decided to pursue my dream of being a visual artist. At the school I work at, a competition was announced for all staff during the Christmas holiday to decorate their office door. I decided to draw with chalk pastels a drummer boy and sheep. It created quite a buzz around campus. I had a staff member approach me and say, “I missed my calling to be an artist.” When I heard her say those words, I realized that I needed to pursue my full potential as an artist. The moment could be likened to a box of treasure being dug up, not knowing its full potential or what lay inside, but realizing you cannot walk past without discovering it.

Yes, that’s it. Digging a little into art, artists will find the hidden treasure they longed for. An everlasting wealth, indeed. Was there ever a moment of doubt to question your art career entirely?

I have gone through several moments where I doubted myself as an artist not because I am bored or lack passion, but because of my love for Jesus Christ and my family. The Lord tells us to discern our motives and reasons for doing things, especially when it requires sacrifice. My husband reassures me that my motives are clear, and my children love watching my paintings transform each time I am in the studio. Insofar as I have the support of my family and the discernment that my motives are pure in the sight of God, my conscience is clear. In my art, I must be pursuing work that is meaningful and not to gain worldly treasures or accolades. If I go that route, I will be lost.

That’s true. One of the most significant features of art is that it can display every belief, religion, attitude, lifestyle, culture, and pure expression of the artist's feelings. What is your daily routine when working in your studio?

Currently, my daily routine is sporadic, and it seems that I am always trying to chase time. My most important priority each day is taking care of my husband and children. I currently work full time as well, therefore finding a consistent time to be in the studio at this moment of my life is difficult, and I must be creative. When I come into the studio usually it is early in the morning between 4 - 7 am, or late in the evening after 10:30 pm. If I have a slow day at work, I bring my work into the art classroom and try to squeeze in 4 - 5 hours. Ideally, I try to achieve between 4 - 8 hours in a day in the studio. I must be focused when I come into the studio and know exactly what I am wanting to work on with no delay. I approach my work systematically and always have a plan.

So you are very busy, but the fact that you are invincibly and persistently creating art is really admirable. Now, take us through your process of making your artworks.

I am always being inspired by new ideas for my artwork. My approach is different with each piece based on the vision I have in mind. If I am working on a landscape painting or portrait and have a photo to paint from, then I will adjust the light, composition, and shadows if necessary and then prepare my canvas. If I am painting from my imagination, then I will sketch my ideas, develop the composition, and then make sure my drawing is the correct ratio proportioned to my canvas. I prefer to tone my canvas and apply either a graph or the armature of a rectangle. I begin with underpainting to develop my values and composition. After my underpainting is dry, I then use an indirect approach, laying thin layers of paint and allowing it to dry. I know my work is complete when I do not want to touch it anymore.

When creating artwork or an art collection, do you have a common theme based around similar ideas? Better to say, is there a central concept connecting all your works together or each series or artwork is unique?

I hope that when the viewer looks at my artwork, they do not consider me as the artist foremost, but visually and thoughtfully they are evoked to having profound contemplation of their own lives. All my paintings currently are individual and do not follow a series. I have painted landscapes to commission portraits of pets and people. In all my paintings I try to capture the subject’s essence. Robert Henri had the concept, “There are moments in our lives, there are moments in a day, when we seem to see beyond the usual. Such are the moments of our greatest happiness. Such are the moments of our greatest wisdom. If one could, but recall his vision by some sort of sign. It was in this hope that the arts were invented…. Signposts toward greater knowledge.” Mr. Henri said it well, our artwork should evoke joy to the beholder and illuminate the human spirit in his or her pursuit of greater knowledge.

What a wonderful and profound attitude about art and its presentation to the people. I really appreciated it. Would you like to give a particular interpretation of your work to your viewers or you prefer to leave the whole interpretation to your audience?

I think that each piece of artwork should evoke a different response from each viewer. I do not necessarily wish to give a detailed description to help guide the viewer through the painting unless there is a specific message I want to communicate. For instance, I completed a commissioned portrait and was asked to give the dedication. The personal testimony of the individual was worth noting and was the inspiration for the added objects in the painting, such as the statue of St. Francis, two beagle dogs, and a sunbeam. All three of these focal points tell the story of her life.

You talked about inspiration, Laura, so let me ask you right now: How do you seek and use inspiration for your works?

Every day I am inspired by my surroundings. I tend to take a lot of photos, and find myself contemplating the way the light reflects, or how shadows are cast. I am also inspired by the books I read and the music I listen to. I will create pictures in my mind, too many to paint in a lifetime it seems. In my painting, “Point of Reckoning,” I was inspired by an evening sunset at my home one evening. The colors of the sunset were a series of orange hues. As I studied a photo of the sunset it evoked emotion and a story of a boat traveling on the sea approaching a storm. Interesting enough, the photos I choose to paint are a direct revelation of my state of being unknowingly at the time, but later revealed to me in the end. I will look at my paintings and am astounded at the result. I learn a lot about myself after each painting I complete.

Exactly. For instance, in “Splendor” and “Calm Azur”, we can feel that you get inspired by everything's around you or happens in front of your eyes in nature. How do you select your artworks subjects?

Currently, I am willing to complete a series of artwork that continues to show my growth as an artist. It is easy to want to paint what sells and I have been told by other artists that I should stick to painting landmarks and local landscapes. Although, I am inspired by my surrounding I want to select my subject based on the story or message I am trying to communicate to the viewer. I have several ideas for future paintings which are personal, essential, and I think worthy of capturing. They require my imagination and are original. My favorite subjects to paint usually involve a landscape or portrait which evokes a personal memory or causes me to reflect on the Glory of God. I follow the same process of using the photo image in developing my composition. I would eventually like to begin plein air painting when my day will allow.

In fact, your main goal is something beyond painting. You actually try to convey your message and define your story to the viewers because you do believe there’s something beneath the surface. Is there an artwork or series that you would like to be remembered for?

I believe that I am at the beginning of my journey, and I will continue to evolve as an artist. I continue to improve each day with my artwork as I gather more life experience and become more comfortable with myself as an artist. I don’t think I have reached the moment where I can look at a piece of artwork and know that this work is what I want to be noted for or remembered by as an artist. Lord willing, I think that day will come further down the road as I grow in wisdom and knowledge of myself and my own personal life experiences. If that day comes, I hope that my work will communicate and portray as Juliette Aristides stated in her article The Hope of Beauty, “… something deeper exists, a longing for beauty which calls to you because beauty marks a reality that actually exists.” That longing is a relationship with our Creator, Jesus Christ.

Our readers are accustomed to the statement you quoted “something deeper exists” and always are curious to discover something beyond a simple beauty in your artworks. So they want you to have more works for them. Any upcoming works or future projects that you would like to share with our readers?

In the year 2020, I was not able to complete any artwork due to giving birth to our third child. Thankfully towards the end of the year, I was able to start painting again and will finish my first commission after maternity leave in June 2021. My future hope is to complete at least five more paintings before December of this year. These paintings will include a portrait of a local mural of the American Flag located on a barn that I completed before the birth of my third child, a series of landscapes, and hopefully a portrait of my son. In the fall of 2021, I hope to show at the Waynesboro Fine Art Festival. Next year I will look forward to showing at more locations on the east coast and seek membership with the Oil Painters of America.

Impatiently waiting. Have you ever got influenced by some artists in the past? If yes, what are your art influences?

I am naturally drawn to French Romanticism. I also enjoy the paintings of Caravaggio and his use of Tenebrism, Rembrandt and his genius use of light, Normal Rockwell and his illustrations, and Albert Bierstadt who is one of my favorites. I had the opportunity to visit the National Gallery in Washington, D.C., and was astonished by his paintings located in the gallery. Bierstadt loved to paint on large surfaces and would choose grand landscapes with exotic sky features which are jaw-dropping. Harmony flows through his paintings and all the artists who followed the classical approach. I can’t limit myself to just a few artists as all artists I am learning about in the classical era all the way to Van Gogh has influenced my learning. Currently, I love to learn from Andrew Tischler, Joshua LaRock, and Juliette Aristides.

And, if you could meet one of your ideal artists from the past, who would it be and what will you ask about?

I would choose to meet with Albert Bierstadt. I would honestly enjoy sitting behind him and watching his creative process when approaching a landscape painting. Of Course, I may ask him questions regarding the paint colors he uses and his process of glazing, along with what he looks for regarding to landscape composition. I would enjoy just sitting and watching his creative process. This is a difficult question because I would also love to watch Rembrandt and his creative process towards a portrait. I am very intrigued by his process of painting gold.