Contemporary artist Stanley Whitney (b. 1946) is most known for his vibrant abstract grid paintings. Drawing inspiration from sources ranging from artist Piet Mondrian to quilt-making, Stanley creates richly colored paintings that feel alive in their vibrancy.
Born in Philadelphia in 1946, he studied at the Kansas City Art Institute and received an MFA from Yale School of Art in 1972. During this time there was an expectation that Black artists would create representational work which reflected African American life. Whitney had other ambitions, and boldly stayed true to his exploration of abstraction through painting.
Whitney’s signature grid paintings are a marvel to behold. The colors seem to sing off of the canvas and dance to their own rhythm. Inspired by the lyrical nature of his paintings, I created a handful of mixed media grid postcards using my watercolor color pencils and collage papers. The possibilities for creating different grids are endless, and this has quickly become my go-to creative project when I need to reset and take a break from the busyness of the day.
First, draw loose horizontal and vertical lines making an uneven grid on paper of your choosing. I used our postcards, which make for an excellent surface to do this activity on. Next, use whatever materials you have to fill in the shapes. I used a combination of watercolor color pencils and collage papers and had so much fun coming up with different color combinations and patterns.
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