[1] Whiteley concentrates on the connections between mathematics and art, with an emphasis on seeking geometric principles related to rectangles, triangles, and squares.
As part of a critic's residency essay, David Carrier wrote about her work "I understood better how her images were produced by seeing the grid she used to compose.
"[2] Since 1988, she has used the geometric design elements of dynamic symmetry[3] as presented by Jay Hambidge,[4] for paintings,[5] works on paper,[6] and sculpture.
She oversaw the offset lithography production of the edition at Pyramid Atlantic Art Center, founded by Helen C.
It is composed of hand painted folders containing elaborately folded papers based on the two-dimensional principles of dynamic symmetry transposed to three-dimensions.
As the reader unfolds the papers, Whiteley's original writings about beauty as a spiritual theme are revealed.
Her anatomy teacher, Paula Gerard, was a master of the technique of using a sterling silver stylus on a prepared ground.
Whiteley draws with silver or gold styluses to represent botanical themes,[21][22] geometric forms, frieze groups,[23] and the sacred cut.
For an essay about her solo exhibition of silverpoint drawing over color washes at the McLean Center for the Arts, curator Nancy Sausser wrote "As an artist, Whiteley shows us her respect for the past, pays homage to it in these works, yet remains firmly rooted in the present as well.
[25] Along with Sheila Rotner and Zinnia, she was a founder and editor of EyeWash, a monthly tabloid of visual arts peer reviews for the Washington DC area.
[30] From 2006 to 2011, she served as an associate editor of Hyperseeing, the journal of the International Society of Art, Mathematics, and Architecture (ISAMA).