About the Artist

Brian Whitman is a contemporary landscape and visual narrative artist based in California’s Coachella Valley. Working in oil, acrylic, watercolor, and photography, his work explores atmosphere, memory, nostalgia, and the emotional resonance of place -from expansive desert vistas and mountain landscapes to iconic roadside architecture and vintage motel signage.

Brian’s artistic voice is rooted in storytelling. Throughout his life he has worked across multiple creative disciplines including music, visual communications, photography, media production, and fine art. He studied art, music, literature, German, and broadcast communications at the University of Indianapolis and began his professional career in television, media production, and visual design. His early work included graphic design for broadcast news, corporate media production, animation, exhibit development, and immersive visual storytelling — including creative work associated with an installation at Disney's EPCOT INNOVENTIONS.

While Brian spent much of his professional life serving as a healthcare executive and communications strategist, art remained a constant thread throughout his journey. His experiences as a communicator — helping individuals connect emotionally to complex experiences — continue to influence the way he approaches painting today. His work seeks not simply to depict a scene, but to evoke recognition, memory, longing, and connection.

Now immersed in the vibrant arts culture of the Coachella Valley, Brian’s recent work reflects an evolving fascination with light, color, atmosphere, and Americana. His paintings often capture the quiet personality of vintage roadside motels, retro signage, desert spaces, and western landscapes — subjects that feel both deeply personal and universally familiar. Through intentionally imperfect details, nostalgic references, and expressive use of light, his work invites viewers to rediscover moments and places that may otherwise fade from collective memory.

Brian paints both in studio and en plein air. He was formerly mentored by acclaimed Colorado artist Karen Vance. His work Colorado Headwaters Trail was featured at the 48th Winter Park Alpine Art Affair as the feature fund raising poster for the event. He was the recipient of the Bonnie Quillen Memorial Award presented at the 2nd Annual Plein Air @Altitude Festival. He completed an artist residency at the Chateau d'Orquevaux Artist Residency in France, an experience that further expanded his exploration of atmosphere and narrative through landscape.

His work has appeared in juried exhibitions, festivals, solo shows, and regional galleries throughout Colorado and beyond. Brian is actively seeking gallery representation, exhibition opportunities, hospitality and commercial partnerships, and commissioned projects for collectors, residential interiors, restaurants, and public-facing spaces.

Whether painting dramatic landscapes, nostalgic Americana, or atmospheric studies of the West, Brian approaches each work as an invitation to pause, reflect, and emotionally inhabit a place in time.

Recognitions

• Gallerium Art Prize - 2023 International Exhibition (Winter Park Motel) 
• Winter Park Resort - Venture Out Festival: Plein Air
• Exhibitionist 49th, 48th, 47th Winter Park Alpine Art Affair (Winner Promotional and Fundraising Poster - 48th Winter Park Alpine Art Affair)
• Cozens Ranch Museum - Solo Exhibition August 2023, Solo Exhibition October 2022
• LaLaguna Art Gallery - 50 or Older Exhibition (Winter Park Motel)
• Plein Air @ Altitude 
• Winner of the Bonnie Quillen Memorial Award presented at the 2nd Annual Plein Air @Altitude Festival
• Red, White & Blue Gallery Walk   Grand Lake, Colorado
• Artful Afternoon  Fraser Distillery, Fraser, Colorado
• Winter's Beauty (Juried Show)  R-Gallery, Boulder, Colorado
• Former Board Member Fraser Valley Arts
• Chateau d'Orquevaux Artist Residency

Studies

• Karen Vance - Oil and Watercolor, 2019 - 2022, Fraser, Colorado
• Marianne Billingsley - Oil, Plein Air - August 2019, Boulder, Colorado 
• Jane Hunt - Oil, Plein Air - September 2019, Boulder, Colorado
• Dave Santillanes - Oil, Plein Air to Studio, September 2019, Steamboat, Colorado
• John Taft - Plein Air - September 2022, Longmont, Colorado