An Immersive Subject: Abi Whitlock’s Underwater World

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Abi Whitlock has spent a lifetime observing the allure of water and now plunges others into the underworld of placid weightlessness.

British artist Abi Whitlock once dreamt of becoming a marine biologist. When describing her relationship with water, it’s obvious that she has been entranced by its mystery her entire life. The science of an ocean’s ecosystem held her spellbound as a child, and it’s water that maintains a hold on her imagination as an adult.

As a university student, Whitlock had no idea just how powerful the role of water would figure into her life. On the precipice of taking exams that would complete her matriculation, she became ill. She had to withdraw from university to focus on her health and never completed her food science degree. Serendipitously, her time in recovery served as a catalyst for her art.

“When I had to drop out of university and return home because of my illness, I didn’t know what to do,” Whitlock says. “I needed a purpose, and I remembered that I used to love art and was good at it as a child, and I found it again.”

Working full-time in acrylic since 2015, Whitlock has developed a captivating oeuvre that depicts underwater swimmers afloat in colorful ribbons of water. The paintings hold the viewers’ attention thanks to the anchoring elements of movement, light and color. But above all, it’s the relatability to the swimmers that creates a connection. “A lot of people associate being in water with their childhoods … learning to swim and going on family holidays,” the artist says. “It brings up a childlike sense of memory.”

Answering the Call

Ironically, Whitlock didn’t grow up near water. She was raised in the county of Surrey, in England, where her exposure to shorelines was limited. Still, she learned to swim at a young age and, thanks to the influence of her father, who loved to be in water, she took to the depths with ease. It was only when she reached adulthood that she relocated to a coastal community.

In the county of Devon, the shorelines and cliffsides are lauded as some of the most beautiful in England. Referred to as the English Riviera, it’s here that the artist made a home as her full-time art practice developed. The relocation turned her artistic eye to swimming pools, beaches and other water sources that would feed the catalog of images in her mind.

That focus was to depict the magical aquatic world that transforms the human experience. “There’s something about painting people underwater,” Whitlock says. “They’re weightless and silent in their own little worlds. It’s an escape for me as well, just to paint them.”

Whitlock admits that beginning an art practice without formal art training has been cause for some anxiety and self-doubt, and she has had to work to ward off this imposter syndrome. “Initially, I didn’t think of myself as an artist,” she says. “It feels purposeful when you’re putting something into the world that might change someone, but I definitely didn’t think of it as a job. I just knew I needed to be making something.”

The Power of Letting Go

To be submerged in water can invoke a feeling of blissful isolation, and a Whitlock composition expresses this and more. There’s an urgency to her work, a message of happy spontaneity that comes from diving in with a sense of trust. “I’m trying to capture a sense of freedom and ‘letting go’ in my work, so I don’t want anything to look stiff or forced,” she says. “I want a sense of looseness and relaxation in the swimmer’s body. Generally, I prefer to paint women in the water because, conceptually, I feel both water and femininity are tied together,” she continues. “Most of my paintings are of myself, or of my two sisters or my female friends who kindly allow me to photograph them.”

So, how does Whitlock capture her underwater scenes? “First, I always pick a sunny day to go to the pool or the ocean, as it’s important that bright sunlight is present to get good reflections and contrast between light and shadow in any images I take,” she says. “I’ll take shots from above the water’s surface [at the pool’s edge] using a DSLR camera.” In general, she positions the model so that she’s facing directly into the sun. To capture shots below the surface, Whitlock switches to an underwater camera. “The camera angle is important for capturing both the swimmer and the reflections above her, so I wear a diving mask so that I can see what I’m doing when submerged,” she says.

Although Whitlock may use a photo reference to create a composition, she only uses certain elements. “I don’t like to be rigid with my references,” Whitlock says. “I’ll add color, light or contrast; there often aren’t enough reflections, so I’ll add more of those, too. It’s not just about getting the skin tone right, nor is it just about the light in the water. I have to get so much more into one composition.”

Whitlock has found creative growth in the solitary aspects of painting. “Being in nature and in that quiet space is so beneficial to my art,” she says. “Being around people doesn’t work. I have to be in my own little bubble to create, and Devon was perfect for that.”

Breaking the Rules

Whitlock describes her approach to the acrylic medium as intuitive and, when reflecting on her own evolution as an artist, says, “It comes naturally to me, which is odd. I’ve always found it so instinctive to mix colors and end up with exactly what I want. When I need to identify negative space, I do so intuitively.”

Her approach to a work begins with a pencil drawing outline of the composition. A build-up of color follows, usually Liquitex heavy body acrylics and Golden acrylics. The darkest of colors are addressed, followed by the lightest. She adds details almost immediately. “I’m obsessed with details,” she says, “and when it comes to them, I go hard. I get carried away and put loads of detail in one reflection, and then I work around that.”

While Whitlock’s work has been described as hyperrealistic, her brush aptly depicts the abstracted nuances of water. In fact, the artist’s favorite parts of the paintings are the top reflections on the water because “I can really go crazy with color and light,” she says. While she admits that she’s highly self-critical, that trait has served her well as a self-taught artist. “I don’t know any rules,” she says, “so for me there are no rules until I find them.”

One example is the use of black paint—and the need to avoid it in her work. “Black doesn’t serve me at all,” she says. “It can muddy things, which I discovered through trial and error. Instead, I mix Prussian blue with cadmium red. That’s the darkest paint I’ll use.”

“THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT PAINTING PEOPLE UNDERWATER. THEY ’RE WEIGHTLESS AND SILENT IN THEIR OWN LIT TLE WORLDS.”

—AB I WHITLOCK

Soul-Soothing Work

Now a resident of the Bristol community, Whitlock has surrounded herself with bodies of water, just as she did in Devon. These days, she takes a daily walk along a river that leads to a lake, and her contemplative eye takes in the watery reflections that serve as inspirational fodder.

A recent winter trip to Spain has yielded further seaside ideas—and delivered an unexpected bonus. “The quality of winter light is much softer there,” the artist says. “In the summer, the light can be so harsh, but I found this nice soft, winter light in the ocean there. I can’t wait to see what comes from it.”

With Whitlock as our guide, we’re immersed—much like the human figures before us—and revel in the languid movements that propel us into an ever-eternal summer. 

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Author Bio

Jenn Rein is a writer and editor who covers art, design, architecture and lifestyle. She makes her home in Teton Valley, Idaho, nestled in the wild of the Rocky Mountain West.

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