SHEPHERDSVILLE -- Many people enjoy viewing
fine art but only a select few are talented enough to
produce it. Bullitt County resident Caffy Whitney is
one of those few.

Whitney is an accomplished muralist and illustrator
who has pursued her talent since childhood.
She said she has always been aware of her ability.

"I realized at an early age that God had gifted me
that way," Whitney said. "I always had my sights
on using it."

Whitney more than used her talent - she made a
career of it. She attended the University of Arkansas
as a Fine Arts major and a two year commercial art
program in Chicago.

She, her husband and daughter lived in Kansas City,
Mo., for several years before moving to Kentucky
about 10 months ago.

Whitney built up quite a reputation in the Kansas
City area as a muralist. Interior designer and artist
Yvette Conte worked with Whitney in Kansas City
and praised her talent.

"[Whitney’s] amazing," Conte said. "Her sense of
overall design, color and attention to detail is
wonderful. She really researches her projects and
she puts in quality time to get good work done. I’m
an artist myself and I stand in her shadow."

Most of the murals Whitney produced are featured
in homes. She has painted murals in Oklahoma,
Arkansas, Illinois and Kentucky. She also enjoys
illustrating for publications, including for the
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in
Louisville where her husband is a professor of
Biblical Spirituality.

"The neatest thing about illustrations and murals is
that they relate to each other," she said. "You have a
theme or a story that you have to create art for and
then it all comes together."

When Whitney begins work on a project she does
not grab her brushes and begin. She researches the
topic of the painting and then creates an image in
her mind she wishes to convey on the walls or
canvas. She has painted an array of murals,
including children’s themes, Christian images and
outdoor scenes.

Her latest works were painted in the home of
Oldham County realtor and builder Dennis Pollard,
where she did several murals including a sky scene
on the master bedroom ceiling and a forest scene
on the walls of the master bathroom.

Pollard said it took Whitney two to three months to
complete the work.

"It was beautiful," Pollard said. "I would come
home every night and I would be amazed at what
she had added that day."
Pollard said Whitney’s work brightens his home.

"I hand her cards out all the time," he said. "I highly
recommend her. She does very good work."

Whitney used the popular trompe l’oeil technique in
Pollard’s home. Trompe l’oeil is used to fool the
eye into believing the paintings are real. She enjoys
using the technique, which makes flat paintings
appear in 3-D.

Perhaps Whitney’s most notable trait is her ability
to paint free-hand. When Whitney paints a large
ceiling she uses a technique called cartooning, in
which she sketches the mural on a piece of paper
before painting it. However, she does not sketch
on the walls where she paints.

"I enjoy painting pictures of people because I love
to catch their character," she said. "But I can’t say
that I love one aspect of my work more than
another. I just love my work all around."

However, Whitney admits that her work does not
always come easily. She said painting murals,
especially those on the ceiling, is physically
demanding.

"I know when I get older there are physical limits,"
she said. "I’ll probably limit myself to illustrations
and teaching."

Although Whitney has made her talent as an artist
into a viable career, she does not wish to take credit
for her accomplishments.

"The gift has been given to me by God," she said.
"I always do it for his pleasure. It’s a great motivation
in my life."

Whitney said she has not yet had a chance to build up
her clientele in the Bullitt County and Louisville
areas since her family’s move from Kansas City to
Kentucky. She is looking to create relationships
with home builders and interior designers.

She also said she would like to hold private
one-on-one art lessons in her home.

Prices for Whitney’s work vary based upon the size,
difficulty, materials needed and time it takes to
complete the job.

Whitney can be reached at 921-0308 or through her
Web site at www.caffywhitney.com

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