Whitney Spicer
Whitney Spicer’s still life paintings featuring bowls of pasta, stone fruit and freshly shucked oysters give us a glimpse into her life in the country.
Words: Hande Renshaw
Whitney Spicer at home with her three young boys. Photo: Clancy Paine - courtesy of Graziher Magazine
Sunday Smoko by Whitney Spicer. Photo: Clancy Paine
Still life artist Whitney Spicer’s creative journey has been organic, slowly taking up more and more of her time over the years.
What started out as a hobby while spending time at home with her young children, slowly evolved into something more when she started sharing her paintings with friends and on social media.
‘Painting has brought me joy for as long as I can remember and as someone who is innately creative, I’ve always practised for enjoyment, though I never dreamed of building a career creating art,’ says Whitney.
Whitney lives in rural Manildra, in Central West NSW with her husband and three sons. Her work of tablescapes, which feature plates of biscuits, cups of tea or a stack of magazines on check tablecloths are snapshots taken directly from her home. The prettiest settings that we want to deep-dive into.
‘My pieces were originally inspired by the glossy pages of interior magazines – I began painting from the photography shared in my favourite publications and eventually created my own still life paintings,’ says Whitney, ‘I love pulling together pieces from my home, sourcing local produce, cutting and placing it to create shadows and ultimately creating my paintings with real tangible items before they become art.’
Azure Crab by Whitney Spicer. Photo: Courtesy of Three Birds Renovations
Tan Lines by Whitney Spicer.
“Whether it invited a chance to dream about Mediterranean holidays or people just really love lemons and pasta, it’s a style that I really love painting and will continue to do so.”
Stone Fruit Shadows by Whitney Spicer. Photo: Courtesy of Three Birds Renovations
Morning Reads by Whitney Spicer.
Whitney’s process involves working with contrasting colours and mixing patterns with different surfaces and textures. ‘A lot of my paintings feature patterns from fabric, which I’ve collected throughout the years – when I’m painting, I spend a lot of time mixing colours to beautifully complement each other, it’s a part of the process, which I love.’
While Whitney mainly draws inspiration from her immediate surroundings, she’s also inspired by past Mediterranean holidays, days spent by the sea or future meals she dreams of sharing with friends.
‘I initially began painting Mediterranean tablescapes inspired by a gorgeous set of crockery I have long loved in my own collection and it really resonated with my audience.’ Scenes of bowls of pasta and lemons are firm favourites with her viewers, transporting them to a memory or a place they’d rather be.
Whitney regularly exhibits at Jumbled and has some very exciting exhibitions coming up, ‘I cannot wait to share and some really beautiful additions and collaborations which I will share on my website in the coming months… stay tuned!’