About

Exhibition History

2017 

• St. Botolph’s Club, Boston, Massachusetts
  “Maine Artists”, Group Show of Six Maine Artists
• Greenhut Galleries, Portland, Maine
  “Maine: The Way It Is”, Invitational Exhibition

2016 

• Greenhut Galleries, Portland, Maine
  “Etudes”, Solo Exhibition of Drawings and Paintings
  “Holiday Show” Exhibition
• Vose Galleries of Boston, Boston, Massachusetts
  “Crosscurrents” Exhibition
• University of Maine Hutcheson Center, Festival of Art

2015

• Greenhut Galleries, Portland, Maine
  “Art Maine 2015” Exhibition
• Vose Galleries / Boston Center for the Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts
  Boston International Fine Arts Show

2014

• Vose Galleries / Boston Center for the Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts
  Boston International Fine Arts Show
• Greenhut Galleries, Portland, Maine
  “Book of Days”, Solo Exhibition of Drawings and Paintings
  “The 7th Annual Portland Show” Invitational Exhibition

2013

• Greenhut Galleries, Portland, Maine
  “Holiday Show” Exhibition

2012

• Greenhut Galleries, Portland, Maine
  "World of Wonders", Solo Exhibition of Drawings and Paintings
  "The Portland Show" Exhibition
• The Messler Gallery, Center for Furniture Craftsmanship, Rockport, Maine
  "New Work by Faculty" Exhibition
• Lewis Gallery, Portland Public Library, Portland, Maine
  "Visual Poetry" Exhibition    

2011

• Vose Galleries of Boston, Boston, Massachusetts
  "Recollections" - Solo Exhibition of Drawings and Paintings
• The Messler Gallery, Center for Furniture Craftsmanship, Rockport, Maine
  "New Work By Faculty" Exhibition
• Greenhut Galleries, Portland, Maine
  "Maine Light" Exhibition
• L. C. Bates Museum, Hinckley, Maine
  “Drawing from the Collection” Exhibition (May-September)
• Messler Gallery, Center for Furniture Craftsmanship, Rockport, Maine 
  2011 Faculty Exhibition

2010

• Ball State Museum of Art, Muncie, Indiana
  “Seen and Unseen - The Black Image in American Art” Exhibition 
• Greenhut Galleries, Portland, Maine
  “Timepieces” Solo Exhibition of Drawings and Paintings  (August)
  “The 5th Biennial Portland Show”, (December)
• Messler Gallery, Center for Furniture Craftsmanship, Rockport, Maine
  “New Works By Faculty” Exhibition
• University of New England Art Gallery, Portland, Maine
  “The Artful Art of Drawing” Exhibition
• John H. Surovek Gallery, Palm Beach, Florida
  Solo Exhibition of Drawings and Paintings

2009

• Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, Maine
  “Art at Colby: Celebrating the 50th Anniv. of the Colby College Museum of Art”
• Portland Museum of Art, Portland Maine
  “Remembering Andrew Wyeth” Exhibition
• Messler Gallery, Center for Furniture Craftsmanship, Rockport, Maine
  “New Work by Faculty” Exhibition
• Center For Maine Contemporary Art, Rockport, Maine
  Self-Portrait Exhibition “Just Look At Yourself”

2008

• Vose Galleries of Boston, Boston, Massachusetts
  “An Inner Light”, Solo Exhibitions of Drawings and Paintings
• U.S. Senate Office Building, Washington, DC
  Office of Senator Olympia Snow
• The University of Maine, Lord Hall Gallery, Orono, Maine
  “In Plain Sight”, Solo Exhibition of Drawings and Paintings    
• Center for Maine Contemporary Art, Rockport, Maine
  2008 Juried Biennial Juried Exhibition
• Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay, Maine
  “Near At Hand”, Solo Exhibition of Drawings and Paintings
• Greenhut Galleries, Portland Maine
  “Mementos”, Solo Exhibition of Drawings and Paintings    
  “Painters Who Teach” Exhibition 

2007

• Greenhut Galleries, Portland Maine
  “30th Anniversary Exhibition” 
• Francis Naumann Fine Art, New York, New York
  Art 20 Exhibition
• Portland Museum of Art, Portland, Maine
  “Graphite” Exhibition
• Center for Maine Contemporary Arts, Rockport, Maine
  “Up Close “ Exhibition
• Spanierman Gallery, East Hampton, New York
  “Art For The New Collector”
• Greenhut Galleries, Portland, Maine
  Gallery  Artists Group Exhibition 

2006

• Coral Springs Museum of Art, Coral Springs, Florida
  “In New Light” Solo Exhibition
  “Vintage American Art” and “Art For The New Collector V” Exhibitions
• Arts Center at Kingdom Falls, Belfast, Maine
  “RISD at Midcoast” Exhibition    
• Greenhut Galleries, Portland, Maine    
  “The Portland Show 2006" Invitational Exhibition
  “In New Light” Solo Exhibition of Drawings and Paintings
  “Not So Still Life” Invitational Exhibition
  “Holiday Show”
• Center for Maine Contemporary Art, Rockport, Maine
  “Still Life” Invitational Exhibition 
• The Maine State Capitol, Augusta, Maine
  “Still Life” Exhibition
• Shaw Gallery, Northeast Harbor, Maine
  “Everyday Objects” Exhibition

2005

• Spanierman Gallery, LLC, New York, New York
  “Art For The New Collector IV”, New York, New York
• Spanierman Gallery, LLC, East Hampton, NY 
  “Twelve Contemporary American Painters” Exhibition        
• Greenhut Galleries, Portland, Maine 
• Office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, The Maine State Capitol, Augusta, Maine
  Solo Exhibition of Drawings and Paintings 
• Davistown Museum, Liberty Maine, Exhibition
  “What Needs To Be Retrieved: The Marriage of Tools, Art and History”  

2004

• Spanierman Gallery, LLC, New York, New York
  “Recent Acquisitions” and “American Still Life Paintings” Exhibitions 
• Center for Maine Contemporary Art, Rockport, Maine, 
  2004 Biennial Juried Exhibition
• Francis M. Naumann Fine Art, New York New York
  “Duchamp - The Recurrent Haunting Ghost” Exhibition
• River Gallery, Damariscotta, Maine

2003

• Alfred Bader Fine Art, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

2001

• The Georgia Museum of Art, Athens , Georgia
  One-man retrospective exhibition “John Whalley - American Realist”

1997

• The Coral Springs Museum of Art, Coral Springs, Florida

1987-1995

• Capricorn Galleries - The Philip Desind Collection, Bethesda, Maryland

1994

• South Bend Regional Museum of Art, South Bend, Indiana

1991

• The Hortt Exhibition, Museum of Art, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

1991

• Harmon Meek Galleries, Naples, Florida
• Tampa Museum of Art, Tampa, Florida

1990

• Dedland Museum of Art, Dedland, Florida
• University Gallery, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida

1988

• Sheldon Swope Museum of Art, Terre Haute, Indiana
  One-man exhibition of Drawings and Paintings

1987

• The Foster Gallery, The University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, Wisconsin

1985

• The Northern Area Artist’s Competition, Mansfield, Pennsylvania

1984

• The Krannert Gallery, Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana

1983

• The Zantman Galleries, Carmel California
• The Spencer Crest Nature Art Exhibition, Corning Community College, Corning, New York

1982

• The Rhode Island School of Design Alumni Biennial Exhibition
• Woods Gerry Gallery, RISD, Providence, Rhode Island

1981

• Gallery Zena, Boston, Massachusetts
  One-man exhibition of Drawings and Paintings
• Tremellen Galleries, Lancaster, PA
  2nd Annual Juried Exhibition 
• Gallery Atelier, Rochester, New York

1979

• The DeCordova Museum, Lincoln, Massachusetts
  New England Drawing Competition
• Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts
  Art of the State Exhibition
• The Sharon Arts Center, Sharon, New Hampshire
  The 4th Annual Regional Juried Exhibition of Prints, Paintings and Drawings 

Works in the collections of:

• The Portland Museum of Art, Private Collection, Portland, Maine
• The Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, Maine
• The Museum of Biblical Art, Dallas, Texas    
• The Georgia Museum of Art, Athens, Georgia
• The Kemper Museum of Art    
• The Otto Naumann Collection, Otto Naumann, Ltd., New York, New York
• The Alfred Bader Collection, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• The Aldrich Chemical Corporation, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• The University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, Wisconsin
• The Philip Desind Collection, Potomac, Maryland
• Private Collections - National and International

Articles & Reviews

“While many artists hide their lack of content behind a wall of impressive technique, some of America’s greatest artists (such as Richard Estes and Andrew Wyeth) have used great technique as a vessel for deeper content. Whalley belongs to this latter group. Whalley made a name for himself as one of the most accomplished graphite artists in America. The most obvious quality of Whalley’s paintings is their stunning detail. His still lifes are so much clearer than photographs that they feel like hallucinations. It’s technically masterful: Whalley glazes with tempera like few in history ever have. Landscapes are a new thing for Whalley. And they remind us that his greatest skill is observation. Not surprisingly, his mastery of light and color is superb. He paints seaside scenes as though he’s been doing it forever. But Whalley shines in the details and such scenes provide him with a different – and delicious – mode of complexity.”

– DANIEL KANY, MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM, JULY 20, 2014

***

“Whalley is known for his painstakingly realistic paintings. He often paints antique objects that he and his wife collect from shops and sales around the region. They fill his studio nearly from floor to ceiling – colored glass bottles, old baseballs, hose nozzles, oars, clocks, trumpets, door knobs and tools, all showing the patina of age, use and wear.”

– BOB KEYES, MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM, JUNE 23, 2014

***

“Amongst Maine artists not based in landscape painting, John Whalley is unsurpassed. Indeed, Whalley’s graphite drawings are second to none in the nation. But while he has been primarily seen as a draftsman, he is putting more energy than ever into painting. Whalley’s temperament is suited to Maine. His theatricality is about thoughtful drama rather than braggadocio, and his fascinations are understandable and intelligently cognitive rather than neurotically self-involved. Whalley’s work isn’t narrative or even nostalgic. Rather, it’s about the fascination with how we invest objects with ideas and histories.”

– DANIEL KANY, MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM, OCTOBER 14, 2012

***

“Authenticity is a hallmark of Whalley’s work, not only in the verisimilitude of the painted still life’s but in his ability to make us look at things we might overlook and to connect to them, their stories, and the people who used them.”

– JOHN O'HERN,  AMERICAN ART COLLECTOR MAGAZINE, NOVEMBER 2011

***

"Surprisingly, these pieces are free of nostalgia. Their melancholy is bittersweet, respectful and somehow uplifting, as though we might sense goodness in ourselves for caring about these tender bits of nature past. Time will always be an issue for Whalley. It can take him a month to make something seemingly momentary. He puts in so much work that you get it in the blink of an eye. Or do you? While I believe all you have to do to understand Whalley’s paintings is look at them, the ease of this experience does not mean they are anything less than brilliant. I have been looking at his work for a long time, and it only gets better.”

– DANIEL KANY, MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM, AUGUST 22, 2010

***

“The first time I visited John’s studio, I was attracted by a shelf of chalk lines and blue chalk that were used to “snap” long straight lines in construction and carpentry... John’s objects are the subjects of his paintings and drawings and often find themselves in groupings of similar objects or in incongruous juxtapositions that give them new life and new meaning. Each object sits quietly on a shelf but it ready to tell its story when it’s picked up.”

– JOHN O'HERN, AMERICAN ART COLLECTOR MAGAZINE, AUGUST 2010

***

“What is quickly evident is that one person’s doodling stick is a magic wand in the hands of Maine artist John Whalley. The luminous black-and-white images — with a thousand shades of gray, a spectral quality of light and painstaking detail — were rendered with pencils. .. For years, the 1976 Rhode Island School of Design graduate has taken realism to new heights. Nothing is too small or obscure to escape his attention and sympathy.” 

– M.M. CLOUTIER, PALM BEACH DAILY NEWS, APRIL 9, 2010

***

“Whalley’s subjects are discarded and forgotten objects – from old tools, photographs, little tins and compasses, to clay marbles, bits of 100-year-old newspapers and worn leather books...His Maine studio is a bastion of detritus...nothing is too distressed, tarnished or lost to obscurity to escape Whalley’s attention and sympathy.” 

– M.M. CLOUTIER, PALM BEACH DAILY NEWS, APRIL 11, 2009

***

“The Gallery says... Underlying all of John Whalley’s work is a total mastery of drawing, a skill honed by years of training, practice an patience and a devotion to craft that is becoming increasingly rare. His work is spare, but rich at the same time, shedding nw light on everyday objects and people (Marcia L. Vose)”

– JOHN O'HERN,  AMERICAN ART COLLECTOR MAGAZINE, NOVEMBER 2008

***

“Although Whalley is often classified as a photorealist, it would be an injustice to confine him to the genre. Though he is obviously devoted to the realist tradition, and his pieces have the crisp composition of a photograph, his work glows with an ethereal inner luminosity that goes beyond realism – when he draws a delicate strand of frayed twine, you can almost imagine it once held an entire life together... Whalley’s art is a confrontation with memory – he saves and honors the tiny objects that make up our lives from being lost to the obscurity of our forgetfulness.”

– JOSHUA BODWELL, MAINE HOME AND DESIGN MAGAZINE, JULY 2008

***

“Whalley does not simply reproduce the objects that resonate with hm; he transforms them by adding light, enlarging them, or arranging them in particular ways to highlight a particular element.”

– CARL LITTLE, ART NEW ENGLAND, FEBRUARY - MARCH, 2008

***

“His graphite drawings on paper have a simplicity and directness that speaks of the humble lead, and yet they are magnificently complex. They are at once the lead and the gold, modest and sublime; the two extremes simultaneously made viewable... Whalley’s drawings are among the most accomplished works in graphite this writer has seen. His subjects are the simple stuff of Maine life.”

– LAUREN FENSTERSTOCK, ART NEW ENGLAND, AUGUST - SEPTEMBER, 2006