Whitley Howlett
Artist Biography
Whitley Howlett is multimedia artist who has worked in acrylic paint, oil paint, charcoal, graphite, spray paint, ceramics, textiles, printmaking, graphic design and photography. She will be graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts with an Emphasis in Graphic Design from Campbellsville University in December 2021. Howlett currently lives in Louisville, Kentucky but hopes to travel and pursue murals as a full-time artist once she has graduated.
Gallery
Artist Statement
My early art is tied to my great grandmother, Esther, who is a painter and taught me how to paint in her living room as a child. She and I would watch Bob Ross and paint for hours together. As I grew up, I adopted art as a way to communicate and connect to the world around me. Now I am older and have gained both confidence and my own voice outside of art. My focus is less of what art can do for me and more of how it can bring connection, unity, and change for others. Ultimately, I create art that I would want to see and what I think would spark interest in others.
That is where joy and wonder can be found.
My main area of interest in art is when fantasy meets reality and how each would interact in a space where they normally shouldn’t be. Interaction and relationships are a big part of my artistic focus. I have always wanted interactive elements in my pieces, whether that’s mental, physical, or emotional. I like my pieces to be an intimate experience where viewers discover things about the piece by looking intentionally. This acts as both a reminder to myself and to viewers to be present and pay attention to details.
That is where joy and wonder can be found.
I have always considered myself a detailed and thorough person, which is reflected into my work. I enjoy portraiture for this very reason- the small, unique details turns a face into a recognizable person. Details are also why I am drawn to the vintage and worn, where the holes, rust, and wear all tell a story of a life lived well before my own. The juxtaposition of the old with the new is a common theme in my work. I like to discover the similarities between seemingly different objects or people and show how they would