Looking Back, Moving Forward, 2022 oil on canvas 72 x 60 in. 152.4 x 121.92 cm Last week to see “So does everybody else” @seasons.la through December 17. “While those two have traditionally emphasized the facial features of their subjects, Wheless largely denies her viewers an encounter with physiognomy. Historical portraits of dancers also persist in Wheless’s mindscape as she captures her women in motion. Her own experience as a ballerina is a compelling inspiration, as she was taught a certain awareness of the body that denies pain and encourages a harsh passage through it. In the process of making this body of work, Wheless also experienced the push and pull of movement in space - enacting a balletic performance while maneuvering paint across her surfaces. Her brushstrokes are ribbons of color strung together to form the bodies and landscapes of her paintings. Each gesture is vitalized by its contribution to the whole, with waterfalls of color culminating in an elongated fingertip or in cascades of tangled hair. Whether visually or conceptually, play and light undergird Wheless’s painting process. She avoids overt pictorial resolution in service of this levity. By allowing the window to remain open, energetic currents can come and go ad infinitum. Her soft paintings operate in confrontation with the harsh reality of the viewer’s perception. Dusk remains a relentless presence in her compositions as golden hour sunsets breathe life from beyond the figural plane.” Text by @spiralstaircase1 _____