David Whelan is an artist and writer living in Brooklyn, New York. His paintings are made from observation, mostly around his neighborhood and places he visits in rural Maine. They depict the natural and built environments of the Northeast, and are primarily concerned with light and shape. Combining spontaneity with restraint, Whelan boils these subjects down to their essential qualities, revealing something unexpected in the process.
During his residency in 2015, Whelan started assembling his book Stay Close, which presents a selection of watercolors he made with his mother who was living with Dementia. Stay Close was completed and published in 2022.
Portrait by Kyle Knodell
