Name :
Emerald Rose Whipple @emeraldrosewhipple
Birthplace :
California
Métier :
Painter
Sources of inspiration :
Ephemeral nature of being, impermanence, divinity, the soul, mortality, the paradox of time, phenomenology, memory, dream, philosophy, ancient knowledge.
Sources of motivation :
My motivation comes from the desire to create a space of unconditional love for the viewer to exist in, to touch the present moment and experience peace & light. The act of touching life deeply in presence has become a life practice for me since my youth. Growing up between Hawaii and California I was aware at a young age of the underlying energy which permeates all things (human, plant, animal, all of life). Hawaiian culture is deeply spiritual and I was raised learning many indigenous traditions and practices, Hawaii continues to hold a sacred presence for me. I grew up learning about native Hawaiian culture and acknowledging all life with love and respect. It is awareness really, this changeless presence which underlines all things. That is what I wish to communicate, what I wish to convey through my work. I want people to feel that energy when they experience it and create that presence within them as well. A ripple effect of peace.
What makes you happy :
So many things!!!
Life is a wonder to behold. Acknowledging my own life brings me happiness, if you have life you have everything really. To be alive and to know that you are alive is such a profound gift.
The awareness that everything is in a constant state of change, the impermanent nature of all things. I am constantly reminded of this, watching the clouds change from one form to the next as they dissipate into the atmosphere. Everything feels like magic.
I love life; light and dark, I am just a witness to it as it unfolds. I try to create a space for it to flow through me, to honor all experiences with understanding, kindness and empathy. To allow and equally to let go.
Witnessing love is something I find extremely beautiful, caring nature and kindness in humanity.
John and Hanne Bed, 2013
Favorite reads :
There are so many, I have carried books with me all over for years. Before I create a new body of work or even annually there are a number of books I reread. It brings insight into where I am in my life and different aspects of text resonate in different ways as I grow and change. There are a lot more, but these are definitely my go to’s for clarity.
The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
The Republic by Plato
Timaeus by Plato
Apology of Socrates by Plato
The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle
Favorite tunes :
I like a very textural and hollow instrumental sound. Burial, Bonobo, Four Tet & Holy Other are my favorites for sure
Favorite foods :
Avocado, fresh coconut, green juice, chia seeds, hemp seeds. I’m from the west coast so I kind of live for tacos!
Beauty tips :
Water and a clear mind. I use Aesop skincare and am very wellness oriented which comes through on a physical level. I have sensitive skin and don’t really wear makeup unless I have to for an event.
We are constantly being conditioned to believe that a specific look, body types or set of ideas define beauty, and I believe it is starting to shift. I think this pressure of conformity creates this heightened illusion of separation and causes comparison which could lead to feelings of inadequacy.
We should really be nurturing each other. I hope people can start to embrace who they are and feel that they are enough in their own skin, self love and self acceptance. I think life is about discovering who you are and allowing it to exist through you. We are all beautiful in our own way and deserve the acknowledgement, especially from ourselves. The essence of life in all of is is sacred and this recognition of oneness is beautiful to me.
Favorite ways to unwind :
I love watching light on the water, the way it dances on the surface of the waves and the ripples, it calms my energy and brings me sublime peace. It always opens my heart and has been a reset for me since childhood.
What gets you in a working flow :
Meditation. My work deals heavily with energy at its core and I want to be extremely conscious of the energy I put into my work. I want there to be a purity to it.
What are you working on now :
I am at the beginning of a new series titled ‘Moving Image of Eternity’. My paintings stem from photography so I have compiled a cinematic visual narrative to depict my understanding of time dealing with the specific themes of Memory, movement and light. I have habitually documented friends and travels in my work and have pulled from my image archive to convey these themes. It is very ‘the golden hour.’
The title is pulled from Plato’s Timaeus, which deals with his understanding of time
“still more closely. Accordingly, seeing that that Model is an eternal Living Creature, He set about making this Universe, so far as He could, of a like kind. But inasmuch as the nature of the Living Creature was eternal, this quality it was impossible to attach in its entirety to what is generated; wherefore He planned to make a movable image of Eternity, and, as He set in order the Heaven, of that Eternity which abides in unity He made an eternal image, moving according to number, even that which we have named Time.”
For me it’s about touching eternity in each moment. It is something I am understanding as the work progresses, but what I find most fascinating is that the only time we have is this moment, the past and the future only exist in the mind.
Evan Meyer, 2014
I also love the description of time in The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran.
You would measure time the measureless and the immeasurable.
You would adjust your conduct and even direct the course of your spirit according to hours and seasons.
Of time you would make a stream upon whose bank you would sit and watch its flowing.
Yet the timeless in you is aware of life’s timelessness,
And knows that yesterday is but today’s memory and tomorrow is today’s dream.
And that that which sings and contemplates in you is still dwelling within the bounds of that first moment which scattered the stars into space.
Who among you does not feel that his power to love is boundless?
And yet who does not feel that very love, though boundless, encompassed within the centre of his being, and moving not from love thought to love thought, nor from love deeds to other love deeds?
And is not time even as love is, undivided and spaceless?
But if in your thought you must measure time into seasons, let each season encircle all the other seasons,
And let today embrace the past with remembrance and the future with longing.
Favorite motto / quote :
“Dwell on the beauty in life. Watch the stars and see yourself running with them.” Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
Last words about the shoot for The Know (clothes/ style/ vibes):
My dear friend Hadar shot the images, he is an incredible soul and I feel so fortunate to have worked with him on this. He captures vulnerability with empathy and he really sees people, for who they are.
We have known each other almost a decade and moved to New York around similar times. We have watched each other grow and experience so many shifts. I’m really happy we could collaborate in this way.
The clothes are pieces I have left over from working in the fashion industry. The shoot is very Bowie meets Wizard, crystal ball and all!
Emerald Rose Whipple is a leading emerging artist known for her strikingly distinctive paintings, produced in a Photorealistic and Impressionist style, which depict youth culture and lush landscapes.
Whipple’s work focuses primarily on the theme of the soul represented both by nature and by man, confronting traditional views of ancient philosophy, mythology, symbolism, alchemy, and what we know to be the idea of reality. There are subtle undertones of metaphysics, mysticism, shamanism, life, death, the afterlife, the essence of being and the energy or life force that generates and sustains our existence in the universe. These ideas question both the identity of the subject and the viewer.
Zuzanna, 2013
Whipple produces each series as a complete body of work; portraits are often coupled with nature. Whipple’s landscapes are often vast and abstract, featuring lush tropics and desert environments, the ocean or celestial sky-scapes. Original images are hand drawn using a grid technique from candid photography of the artist’s friends. Whipple’s paintings display overlapping brush strokes, which reference Pointillism and Impressionism. Her work features a juxtaposition of short, thick brushstrokes to small, distinct dots of paint which relies on the ability of the eye and mind of the viewer to blend the color spots into a fuller range of tones. The result, when viewed up close, is an abstraction of natural form, a condensed depiction of the painting referencing either portrait or landscape. However, when the viewer steps back, the strokes and dots depict a photorealistic image.
Whipple was born in California in 1989. She spent her adolescent childhood between Ojai, California and Kauai, Hawaii. She studied Fashion Design at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY where she received a BFA in Fashion Design in 2012.
Emerald Rose Whipple lives and works New York City.
John and Hanne Poland Springs, 2013
Whipple’s paintings have appeared in Dazed & Confused Magazine, Another Magazine, The Last Magazine, and featured in issues of The Huffington Post, i-D Magazine, Women’s Wear Daily, HART Magazine, De Witte Raaf, Transmission Magazine and Engram.
www.emeraldwhipple.com
www.jandhaese.be
Photography by Hadar Pitchon @hadar_pitchon