About this Artist

WAYNE WHITE is an American artist, art director, illustrator, and puppeteer. Born and raised in Chattanooga, TN, White has used his memories of the South to create inspired works for film, television, and the fine art world. After graduating from Middle Tennessee State University, Wayne traveled to New York City where he worked as an illustrator for the East Village Eye, The New York Times, Raw Magazine, and the Village Voice. In 1986, White began designing for the acclaimed television show Pee-wee’s Playhouse, for which he was awarded three Emmys. After traveling to Los Angeles with his wife, Mimi Pond, White continued to work in television and designed sets and characters for shows such as Shining Time Station, Beakman’s World, Riders in The Sky, and Bill & Willis. White also worked in the music video industry, winning Billboard and MTV Music Video Awards as an art director for seminal music videos including The Smashing Pumpkins' 'Tonight, Tonight' and Peter Gabriel's 'Big Time.' 

Following his career as a successful production designer, White embarked on a fine art career, creating paintings and public works exhibited both nationally and internationally. White is most well-known for his word paintings featuring oversized, three-dimensional text painstakingly integrated into vintage landscape reproductions. The message of the paintings is often thought- provoking and almost always humorous, with White pointing a finger at vanity, ego, and at his memories of the South. In 2009, Wayne's life and career were chronicled in a 382-page monograph, edited by Todd Oldham. This sold out edition was recently re-released in 2016 as a smaller sized edition through Oldham’s publishing house AMMO Books. The book features hundreds of images, from Wayne's earliest work as an illustrator, all the way to more recent fine art sculptures. In 2012, the artist’s life and career were documented in the film Beauty is Embarrassing, directed by Neil Berkeley. In 2013, following the success of the documentary, White presented You’re Supposed to Act All Impressed, a TED Talk on his work and career as a fine artist. Born in 1957, Wayne White currently lives and works in Los Angeles, California.