I find a more genuine joy in taking everyday “unbeautiful” things, placing them in a setting and painting them in as true a way as I can, so their real beauty can be discovered by the viewer. I prefer this to taking the obviously beautiful and painting it adequately. I am after the beauty that speaks softly, is often overlooked, and yet when discovered, is a source of great pleasure.[1]

- John Whalley

[1] John Whalley as quoted in John Whalley, An American Realist: His Paintings, Graphite, and Watercolors, by S. William Pelletier, Georgia Museum of Art, 2001.

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