Artist Statement

I am an artist trying to capture in my paintings how the world around me makes me feel. My abstract artwork is inspired mostly from my photography, memories and experiences.  I enjoy building layers of mixed media, collage and acrylic paint, which allows me to create freely and with spontaneity resulting in a rich visual surface.  Living and working in the Halifax area is a constant source of inspiration for me.  Daily views of the Bedford Basin, its many sea vessels, the changing weather, expansive sky, cloud formations and stunning sunrises all feed my creativity and emotional response, finding their way into my artwork. I invite my audience to consider my creative process, explore the layers and wonder what lies beneath.

Biography

Alissa Whalen was born in 1972 in Toronto, Ontario. Between 1983 and 1991, she studied pottery, wheel throwing and hand-building, part-time in Pickering, Ontario. In 1998, she began selling a multitude and variety of functional tableware, garden and wall art. Whalen participated in numerous outdoor and indoor art shows and displayed her work on artist studio tours and in co-op art galleries in Southern Ontario until 2012. Whalen transitioned to working with acrylic paint and mixed media in 2014. She studied with Martha Johnson and Kathryn Bemrose in Toronto, Ontario. During the last 10 years, she has shown her impressionist and abstract paintings at the Avenue Road Art School in Toronto, Sudbury Art Club Shows and One Sky Gallery Boutique in Sudbury, Ontario. In May, 2024 Whalen participated in “A Matter of Time” for emerging artists, curated by Sasha Court and presented in Dartmouth, NS.