Janice Williams Whiting

My works often involve the layering of unrelated elements such as the human figure and typographical map contour lines. Using multiple materials and methods such as canvas, wood, watercolor, acrylic, inks, varnish, porcelain, and epoxy clay, some images I have drawn and painted digitally, printed on canvas, painted with brushes, sculpted with wood and epoxy clay, all to get to the final image. These images led to adding porcelain to my studio “mix.” My eclectic aesthetic reflects my training and my love of both new and traditional methods. This has been a steady part of my studio practice since I was a student. My work is often figurative, informed by a deep passion for drawing, art history, and mystery.
 
As a female artist, I have become increasingly aware of the way our society views women. The world of art is filled with feminine icons, including Eve, the Mona Lisa, Marilyn Monroe, or the Virgin Mary. These images of the feminine not only capture the American imagination but also help to perpetuate contemporary attitudes about women and their sexuality that can both liberate and enslave women in 21st century America.
 
I continue to examine our culture’s willingness to oppress and objectify all women. Our society’s attitudes about sexuality, age, and perceived value continue to weigh on me as I get older. It is my hope that these paintings might lead some viewers to an awareness of our society’s systematic marginalization and degradation of the older woman.
 
All women in U.S. society are faced with a constant barrage of messages about beauty and sexuality, telling them that to be desirable they must emulate the characteristics of both innocence and overt sexuality.  This contradictory approach to feminine value is best summarized in what is known as the “Virgin/Whore” dichotomy.  Every woman must repeatedly choose between being perceived as either a sexually benign creature of limited power, or a sexualized creature with power over both them and others.   
 
All women in U.S. society experience the negative effects of sexual stereotyping.  Often, women who have entered the second half of their lives discover that the negative impact of such attitudes is amplified by age.  As women in American contemporary society age, many become cognizant of the fact that their ability to be viewed as attractive, sexual human beings is oppressed.  Women who have reached this age discover that they are frequently told they are “too old” to:

•   Wear particular clothes,
•   Go to particular events, or
•   Have particular thoughts.
 
Rather than being encouraged to follow our own feelings, thoughts and desires, we are increasingly told to cover up, blend in and “act our age.”  Our society, our daughters and even our contemporaries are quick to point out the socially defined imperfections of age, as if they are scars that make others feel uncomfortable when exposed.  All of this ignores the simple fact that a woman’s sexuality does not disappear at 30, 40, 50 or 70. It ignores the fact that beauty can be found in women of all cultures, ages, and body types.
 
It is for the above reason that I chose to explore these themes using the self-portrait. A nude self-portrait may be “TMI.” The question is why?
 
It is my desire that viewers of this show will be confronted by visions of beauty and sexuality, as well as images of social oppression and the inevitable deconstruction of women’s self-image; and it is my hope that all viewers question why our society values youth as the pinnacle of beauty.