Creative Focus
Home Page photo: “Tree of Appalachia” at Third Day Market, photo by Kate Hamilton Pardee. Above: Whitney Landwehrmann at the Middle Fork Greenway, photo by Leila Jackson, Blue Ridge Conservancy.
The Mesmerizing Murals of Whitney Landwehrmann
By Kate Hamilton Pardee
If the walls on which artist Whitney Landwehrmann paints her public murals could talk, they would reveal the stories of lives lived, family gatherings, local nature, and the history of people who call Appalachia home. Exhibited in many of these nearby picturesque mountain towns, Landwehrmann’s outdoor wall canvases have a past-and-present energy that makes passersby stop and stare. You, too, will want to pause to take in the incredible narratives they tell.
Landwehrmann’s family history and creative story began in her beloved West Jefferson, where her family goes back generations. “Both my parents, Natalie and Norman Stewart, grew up in Ashe County, so the memories are never-ending—and I can’t forget my brother, Tyler, who always makes me laugh,” she says warmly. Landwehrmann attended local schools until leaving to attend Appalachian State. “I then gratefully returned to my remarkable, close-knit home.”
She continues, “West Jefferson is beautiful, but I love the connectivity, the traditions. They don’t get lost here. I don’t see the community just at church services; we are all part of the town, and have a better sense of belonging for it.”
Landwehrmann’s passion for art began at an early age. Her mother noticed her creative affinity and gave her some colored pencils to encourage her. “We would go to restaurants as a family. I would turn the menu over, put sketching paper on top, and just draw.”
Her grandmothers, lovingly called Nanny and Mamaw, noticed it too and were a great source of support. “My Nanny was a retired schoolteacher and opened a framing shop, which would help me later with my art.” She was also good friends with Anne McGuire, sister of the acclaimed and distinctly talented watercolor/acrylic West Jefferson artist Stephen Shoemaker, which would prove very fortunate for me,” she added.
Shoemaker, who was born and raised in West Jefferson, was known for his landscape and locomotive painting—he painted the train mural “Cut at Devil Stairs” downtown. He also taught art classes then. “Nanny asked if I could attend, and even though I was just in first grade, he accepted me.” Shoemaker recalled fondly that Landwehrmann arrived at the first class, put her hands on her hips, and stated, “I’m a devil at times.” Not proving him wrong with her energetic spirit, he states, “I knew immediately she was a talented, committed force. Just like her grandmother, full of spunk!”
Working with pencils with Landwehrmann, he then moved her to colored markers, focusing on shading. Next were watercolors, which taught her the dexterity needed to use a paintbrush. She remembers with kindness, “He gently identified where I needed help, which had a huge impact on me.”
Her Mamaw owned a florist in Jefferson. “It is still there in Town, and her work with many different kinds of flowers really influenced my color palette. Blooms and petals inspire me, and are seen in my art.”
Her father, a commercial landscaper, owns Stuart’s Landscaping in Jefferson and travels all over the East Coast for work. With him, she honed a green thumb. “Daddy saw from the get-go that I loved gardening, but he honestly knew art as my true talent. He thought that should be my priority.”
While attending App State, her art continued to develop. She painted commissioned portraits while pursuing a science degree. “I was conflicted between what I thought would be an acceptable profession or continuing to hold the brush in my hand.” Art finally won out. “The turning point for me was when I was asked to do an exhibition in 2019 at the private resort, Jefferson Landing.” The show named “Juxtaposition of the High Country” was an opportunity to show her true personal art style. “It is surrealistic, yet emotive, and always infused with the grandeur of flowers. Nature influences all my work and is woven into all my canvases or wall displays.”
It thrilled her that all but two of the paintings sold. She was also elated during this time to meet her husband, TJ Landwehrmann, who lived in West Jefferson and was working on a landscaping project at Jefferson Landing. They fell in love and got married. And, years after buying her grandparents’ home in West Jefferson, they were blessed with the arrival of their daughter, Theory.
After the exhibition, the local West Jefferson business Third Day Market commissioned Landwehrmann to create her first downtown mural, “Tree of Appalachia,” on its building. Then came the rework of the “Creston Rich Hill Baptist Church” in town.
These murals were a new focus for her art and involved an intensive process. First, agreeing on the creative idea, ensuring the wall was in good condition, renting a cherry picker, and working on the color palette to become spray paint. “It is hard physical work until it is finally set with the finishing sealant,” she explains.
Murals have long shaped West Jefferson’s identity, with the first, painted by the late Jack Young, titled “History of Ashe County as Told Through the Seasons,” located at the corner of East Main Street and School Avenue, and privately funded by local publisher McFarland and Company.
The Ashe County Arts Council then continued the project. As Jane Lonon, now retired from her 31-year run as Arts Council Director, attests, “These murals began in the 1990s. And helped to revitalize West Jefferson, adding a ‘Wow’ walkability factor for residents and visitors.”
Now, Landwehrmann murals are part of the project, and, as Lonon says, “Her talented artwork speaks for itself.” This successful public art initiative continues under the leadership of Joni Ray, the current Arts Council Director, and includes a downloadable tour of the murals, available at ashecountyarts.org.
The next mural project was deeply personal for Landwehrmann. “This One,” was commissioned by Kelly Vannoy, owner of Naked Creek FARMacy and Dry Goods in West Jefferson. “I have a generational connection to both her and her family,” says Vannoy. “Watching her grow up and seeing her art become part of her life, you could see how intuitively gifted she is.”
“This One” tells the story of Vannoy’s Jefferson farming family and the spirit of the people living in Ashe County. “Whitney’s painting of my grandmother is hauntingly beautiful,” states Vannoy. A QR code beneath the mural links to a short film by Lucas Pruitt and Chris Read of Clarity Films honoring the story of Ashe farmers and their way of life, including Landwehrmann’s painting of the mural.
The Blue Ridge Conservancy became aware of Landwehrmann’s work and had the perfect project in mind, according to Leila Jackson, BRC’s Director of Communications. Wendy Patoprsty, Director of the Middle Fork Greenway, and Amber Bateman, Executive Director of the Watauga Arts Council, thought that Whitney’s murals would be a great addition to the Middle Fork Greenway. After review and consultation with Landwehrmann, she was hired.
The project did not come without its share of strife. The onslaught of Hurricane Helene pushed back the project. As Jackson gratefully recalls, “Amber Bateman’s commitment to securing funds after the storm from the AARP’s Community Challenge Grant ensured its completion.”
The mural project, “Finding Common Ground,” needed to depict local plants and animals indigenous to the area. Landwehrmann also included anglers. Jackson, smiling, continues, “Whitney added a mink, too, because one night, while painting, one playfully splashed near her.” The public response is incredibly positive, with schools, camps, groups, and even those with mobility issues able to experience and enjoy the murals, thanks to close on-site parking.
Whitney recently traveled to New York and Florida, creating murals and continuing to paint with her daughter, Theory. The future includes a new mural commissioned by Tweetsie Railroad and another at West Jefferson Elementary School. There’s talk of a possible future collaboration with Shepard Fairey, a world-renowned, prolific artist known for his standout branding of former President Barack Obama’s political campaign.
But it is the legacy of her artwork she hopes to linger on. Recently, as she packed paintings to move from the attic of her childhood home, she noticed familiar handwriting on the back of the artwork’s frames. She viewed words of pride and love from her mother and grandmothers, who have since passed away. “Reading their touching words confirmed that pursuing this path is right for me. Creatively and soulfully, I hope my work continues to bring both joy and contemplation, and also importantly, be remembered.”