The Wildflower Playhouse Presents 

john s. whitman: recent images

a solo photography exhibition by John S. Whitman

John Whitman, based in Taos, has been creating photographic images for five decades. This exhibit highlights John’s recent work, featuring a mix of images both semi-abstract and figurative. 

Initially influenced by 20th century giants Weston, Strand, Stieglitz, and others, John’s work has shifted, with the advent of digital tech, from primarily black and white, to color. His imagery reflects a dance between the angular geometry of the man-made and the rich potency of the natural world. That inherent tension and often fraught interplay is what has driven his view of the world and his work.

A portion of the show consists of “portraits” of rural decay. These were shot for the most part during a couple of tours of northeastern New Mexico and West Texas. They tell a mood of the changes that have devastated that region in the past few decades. Small holdings, family farms have essentially vanished from the landscape. The small towns that used to dot the map have shrivelled; some have disappeared entirely, leaving only the bones of abandoned buildings. Weathered, collapsing buildings, surfaces wind-scoured, sun-scorched and friable tell a tale of almost unimaginable endurance. Some of these images remind one of dust bowl images from nearly a hundred years ago. Some of the structures might in fact date from that era. The photographs on display aren’t historical images, they’re portraits of our time.

Complementing the narrative character of the new dust bowl images is a series of images that are abstract or semi-abstract. Once-familiar forms that have been truncated or foreshortened reveal a dynamism of purest form. These images play tag with the elemental. They invite contemplation. 

Artist’s Statement

In making photographs, creating images from what presents itself, I find myself constantly looking for something between the lines, something there but not there. It’s not a conscious process, and it yields unwillingly, if at all, to conscious analysis. So when I’m asked, straightforwardly, without guile, in a friendly matter-of-fact manner what kind of photography I “do”, it baffles me a little. I yearn to answer the question as easily as it’s asked, but find myself verbally and conceptually unsure, stymied perhaps by the questions not asked, struggling to steer the conversation to a reassuringly clear port.

To take a pencil and draw a line around a thing is simply done. But the thing may resist the attempt at delineation, or even full description. It may want more room than you’re willing to give it. That’s the kind of photography I do.

The closing reception is on Saturday, March 15th   5 - 7 P.M., with the artist in attendance. The exhibition runs February 4th - March 16th, 2025. The Wildflower Playhouse Gallery is located at 1339 Paseo Del Pueblo Sur, Taos, NM 87571 and is open during scheduled theater performances and by appointment. 

WILDFLOWER PLAYHOUSE

The Wildflower Playhouse and Art Gallery is dedicated to fostering community through the arts. It provides a space for artists to connect, for free spirits to explore, and for all to learn and grow. Founded in 2019 by Jim Avery, the Playhouse features an 80-seat proscenium stage, complete with studio-quality sound and advanced lighting. Jim envisioned a performance arts venue that would serve the Taos community, offering a beautiful, intimate space where art and creativity are celebrated. The Wildflower Playhouse is a place for all who seek to shine under its lights.