TONYA WHITNEY

ARTIST BIO

Self-taught artist and lifelong Vermonter Tonya Whitney has been passionate about art making as far back as she can remember. In 2019 her creativity accelerated after discovering a colored pencil technique that achieved paint-like results, allowing her to work at home where painting was nearly impossible. In 2021 after taking a break from tech work she won an inspiring year-long studio residency sponsored by the South End Arts and Business Association (SEABA). During that period, she rekindled her connection to a diversity of mediums first encountered during middle and high school. Within the roomy studio she was able to experiment with large scale sculpture and drawings to create her first solo show called Pushing Buttons. An element of importance in Tonya’s process is using as much natural, recycled or upcycled materials as possible. Now back to full-time work she still fits in art making whenever possible at home or in her downtown shared studio space called Syzygy.


ARTIST STATEMENT

Through the interplay of color, light and shadow, I bring whimsical worlds to life with colored pencil, paper-maché, clay or digital drawing. My work is inspired by the beauty found in the moments wherever I happen to be—from the flora and fauna seen during a woodland walk, to the sunlight playing on a plate full of deliciousness at a café.

I continuously strive to refine my realism techniques in order to transform those fleeting moments into something tangible. Each piece I create is infused with a sense of nostalgia, comfort, and sometimes mirth—emotions that, in their own way, hold a quiet power to heal and connect. At the heart of my work is the a belief that beauty is always present, especially within the mundane. I hope that through my art, others will pause, notice, and feel the same wonder that inspires me daily.