Erin Whitman
The Unimaginary Line: Paintings from the Border
April 12 – 27, 2018
Wednesday, April 18
Reception | 4-6PM | Hyde Art Gallery
The Hyde Art Gallery is pleased to present recent works by San Diego painter Erin
Whitman. Her meticulously rendered studies from the absolute southwestern corner of
the continental United States illustrate a world divided. The pristine landscape depicted
within these paintings has been marred by one of the most controversial structures
in recent history. “…the border fence cuts across the mountains like a rust-colored
scar. To the east, it snakes across sand dunes, and to the west, it juts 80 feet into
the vast Pacific Ocean. The massive steel bars divide the waves and extend nearly
700 miles through mountains, deserts and cities along our Southern border. The effectiveness
of the fence remains uncertain, but it is a response to a dangerous world and a physical
symbol of control. It marks the place where we end and they begin.”
Born in San Diego, Erin Whitman received her BA from Humboldt State University and
an MFA in painting from Cransbrook Academy of Art. She has also been awarded fellowships
to participate in artist residencies across the United States, such as the Wassaic
Project, Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts, Vermont Studio Center, and Ucross
Foundation. Whitman currently teaches at colleges throughout San Diego, including
Cuyamaca, Southwestern, and MiraCosta, as well as the Grossmont Adult School.
A portion of all artwork sales will be donated to Water Stations, a humanitarian relief
organization in Southern California that deploys and maintains water stations in the
Imperial Valley Desert, Anza Borrego Park and surrounding areas. To donate directly
to their lifesaving efforts visit waterstations.org.
