Woman Leader Profile . . . by Kelly Barbazette: Self-taught artist thriving as she goes abstract

Whitney Pintello stumbled upon what would become her career 20 years ago

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By Kelly Barbazette

Self-taught Gilroy artist Whitney Pintello, known for her vibrant abstracts, mixed-media canvases, and reverse glass paintings on windows, never imagined herself an artist and stumbled upon what would become her career 20 years ago.

“I didn’t want to be an artist as a kid. I wanted to be a writer. I wanted to be a poet,” Pintello, 53, said.

I recently had the privilege of chatting with Pintello about how she made the transition from dabbling in murals and upcycling furniture to painting full-time and experiencing the best time of her life.

Pintello earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in creative writing and musical theater from San Jose State University and went onto teach drama and speech at Gilroy High School in the 1990s.

“I had a great experience teaching,” she said.

After she had her daughters in 1997 and 1999, Pintello opted to take a break from teaching in 2000. After painting one of her children’s bedrooms, she found she had a flair for creating murals. Soon, her friends — and friends of friends — started hiring her for projects.

Working in her family’s theater, Pintello Comedy Theater, for the past 19 years gave Pintello the opportunity to paint sets and “become a really good mimic.” She said she knew her own style was waiting to emerge. She hung out her shutter and began working, mainly on referral.

“I met some wonderful and supportive women who said I had a knack for this,” she said.

Her clients — some of whom she’s still friends with today — referred her for jobs at local hair salons and restaurants, which catapulted her to the next level. She painted the interior of Westside Grill in Gilroy about 15 years ago.

“Women in business here are super supportive and want to see you succeed,” Pintello said.

When Garlic World in Gilroy needed their mural refreshed a year ago, they commissioned Pintello for the job. She found herself on an 80-foot boom crane on top of the building.

“Friends would drive by on (Highway) 101 and honk at me. It was a blast. But it also was a piece of, ‘I can do anything.’ I have to hand it to my early clients who let my try things,” Pintello said.

Through those first few jobs, she started realizing how much she had absorbed about color theory.

“I’m self-taught and now I prefer it,” she said. “I’ve learned that a lot of self-taught people learn that is the best pace for them.”

Pintello began selling her painted furniture at local festivals and branched out to greater Bay Area ones. When it became impractical to traipse around with furniture, she shifted to murals and decorative painting.

And then in 2001, her interest diverged again when she learned about vintage window art. At the time, and even now, it’s a rare art form, she said.

“Hardly anyone does it. It’s a rustic reuse of something people feel connected to, ‘oh my grandma had that (window)’,” she said. “It had a really unique look. Hardly anyone had seen anything like it.”

Pintello’s reverse glass paintings were an instant hit and sold out at her first three Gilroy Garlic Festivals in the early 2000s. But even then, Pintello was slow to warm to the idea that she was an artist.

“When I was first painting windows I wouldn’t sign them. It took me 10 years to say I was an artist with a capital A. I would say I make paintings. I’m a painter.”

But her confidence grew as she sold out shows. And then two and half years ago, Pintello discovered Louise Fletcher, an English fine artist and artist educator. She took a free online workshop from her.

“Those five days completely upended my career,” Pintello said. She not only shifted her art form — this time to abstract art — but began to trust her own instincts more.

“Her No. 1 principal was stop counting the number of likes on Instagram. And stop asking for approval,” Pintello said. “Once that clicked, it changed everything.”

Pintello realized she always wanted to do abstract art, but never had a vocabulary to start it. The online workshop gave her the mindset to do it and she began painting huge floral abstracts on wood canvases. She showed them for the first time two years ago at Gallery 1202 in downtown Gilroy.

“I was so worried people who had been following me for 20 years would say what is this? And a few people did,” she said. “But almost everyone else said, ‘Oh my gosh, Whitney, this is so expressive, where has this been?’ I had to remind myself that people support me. You would be so amazed what’s there.”

She’s proud her daughters, who are now 22 and 24 years old, grew up watching their mother in painted jeans and seeing her art around town, Pintello said.

“I love that they could see me run the business and do all the things myself,” she said. “There wasn’t a ladder I couldn’t lift. There wasn’t anything that I couldn’t do. I love how autonomous it was. And that’s a great lesson for your kids. Especially for girls.”

Pintello divorced in 2009 and remarried in 2012. She has a 22-year-old step-daughter. Pintello just stepped down as the president of the Gilroy Rotary Club, having served as the seventh woman president. She enjoys traveling, being at home with her four dogs — two of which are rescue — and, of course, painting.

When asked what inspires her, Pintello said inspiration keeps her motivated.

“I’m inspired by people who do good deeds. I’m inspired by the color of that car that just drove by. I just feel like the world has endless inspiration.”

She said her job helps keep her hopeful because she feels there’s no end to how art can reach people. She said she has a client who sends her messages weekly thanking her for the artwork she painted for them that’s adorning their home.

Last year, she said she took a chance and showed only her abstract art at an art show in Corvallis, OR.

“People I didn’t know would come up to me and say, ‘Wow! This feels joyful.’ People will just come up and tell me what they’re feeling. Abstract art is different. It evokes emotions.”

Pintello said she’s focusing on bridging the gap between her splashy abstracts and more rustic reverse glass paintings.

“But I’m also not in a hurry. I’m just going to keep trying things,” she said.

She loves the freedom of setting her own schedule, which includes painting at home, showing her paintings, or doing a custom art piece for a client.

“I wish it hadn’t taken me so long to care what other people think,” she said. “We hear about it on social media and it sounds great. In practice, it’s really tough.”

When asked what advice she would give women pursuing their goals, she said to gravitate to people who are supportive.

“Surround yourself with people who believe in you. It’s hard because I don’t think I had a lot of skeptics when I started. But it’s funny how those are the ones that stick in your brain.”

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Kelly Barbazette, a former journalist for Bay Area newspapers, is a freelance writer. She lives in Gilroy with her husband and two daughters. She can be reached at [email protected].

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