Pictured: "Party Girls" by John Whitney. Photo by: Eric Davison

[blank] slate gallery tops off its first season in Sarasota and welcomes in the summer heat with a multi-artist show entitled “WHIMSY,” opening May 8. Heavily featuring the paintings and original prints of Sarasota artist John Whitney, work by other artists such as local ceramicist Scott Causey, painter Cassie Taggart and mixed-media sculptors Bill and Marcia Finks will also be on display for this charming and exuberant presentation of two-dimensional and sculptural art.

“Getting John in here was something I’d wanted to do earlier in the season and it just didn’t work out,” said [blank] slate owner and operator Eric Davison, who has long represented Whitney in his gallery in Delaware. “There’s a sense of happiness in all the work that he does. It’s all about good times and his technique is really fantastic.”

Although Whitney has worked in many media throughout his career, “WHIMSY” focuses on his most recent work in oil painting, which sees the artist capturing quiet moments and high society cocktail scenes in his singular style, with bold brushstrokes and intentional distortion working a sort of expressionist magic. It may not look exactly like a party, but it feels like one. In addition, Davison has laid out a collection of Whitney’s original prints he refers to as “Works on Paper.” These aren’t prints in the usual sense – they’re one of a kind – because Whitney uses the printing process as the beginning, not the end. After printing the image, Whitney attacks it with his brush, sometimes for days, leaving each print a distinct work.

Adding to the atmosphere, Cassie Taggart’s paintings carry the same sense of freewheeling thought; but where Whitney blends and smudges, Taggart draws a stark line, composing meticulously busy and carefully balanced scenes where the everyday meets the absurd.

“A lot of clients are attracted to the fun feel,” said Davison, who sees “WHIMSY” as a good fit for the end of season and the influx of local gallery-goers out for a day on the town in their free time. It’s relaxed, he says, but still quality. Amidst Causey's brightly colored patchwork ceramics and Christine Schukow's shadow box dioramas, Whitney fit perfectly.

“WHIMSY” opens May 8 at [blank] slate gallery with an opening reception with Whitney, as part of the Burns Court district’s final “Second Friday, Sip and Stroll” of the season.

Pictured: "Party Girls" by John Whitney. Photo by: Eric Davison