Ripley Whiteside was born in 1982 and grew up in Chapel Hill and Durham, NC. After living a few years in Montreal, QC, he now lives in Nashville, TN. In 2012 he graduated with a MFA from SUNY-Buffalo, and received a BFA from UNC-CH in 2008. He has participated in solo and group exhibitions in the US and Canada, and has been a resident at Willapa Bay A.I.R., The Peanut Factory, I-Park, and The Vermont Studio Center. Whiteside now teaches as an adjunct at Austin Peay State University and Lipscomb University, and is an instructor at Metro Parks Visual Arts. His works are part of many private collections all over the US and Canada.
Whiteside is endlessly curious about the mysteries of ecological movement. As he states: "Our present and future are being shaped by the swiftly changing climate and I am haunted by the notion that we cannot comprehend the extent of our impact." His studio practice is directed towards the complexity of the present moment, nature in motion, and the transformation of landscape. This work struggles to visualize the scope of ecology and the limits of our understanding. These are translated by very large watercolors and inks and small engravings.