Todd White is a brilliant artist, but his work is not for everyone. I have been a fan since the late 1990s, and he has never disappointed me with his brilliant compositions and beautiful color schemes. His use of colour is excellent, as is his use of negative space.

The story of this particular painting led me to create an article which showcases Todd White’s work and process. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it.

Todd White is a portrait artist that specializes in painting celebrities. In this article, the author talks about Todd White’s career, his process of painting and hiring an assistant, and how he was able to create the paintings he does. A great read for those who are interested in art and want to learn more about Todd White.

Todd White is a successful celebrity artist. He’s painted hundreds of portraits of celebrities and musicians that you’ve seen hanging in homes and offices. His art is collected by the rich and famous and hangs in the homes of movie stars and politicians.

This article explores Todd’s life, his art process, his personal philosophy and how he went from being a struggling artist to being one of the most sought after portrait painters in the world.

Todd White started as a graffiti writer in the late 80s, but eventually became one of the most important artists working today. His work is both highly conceptual and collaged from pre-existing works.

White’s process starts with an idea and once the concept is nailed down he will find pieces of images or words to pull together. He will then scan in these found materials and essentially build a collage which he then prints out on watercolor paper. He will then begin to paint over the image until it comes to life with color and texture.

He has created a lot of work over the years, but his most recent work is a series of paintings based on famous photographs, specifically those that were taken before color photography was invented. While Todd has taken liberties in colorizing some of the photos, they are all based on real photographs that have been around for years. The way he has chosen to apply color to these images is truly remarkable, you can see the evolution from someone who was a graffiti artist to an artist who transcends any one form of art.”

The painting is a process. It starts with an idea, but it continues through application of paint, and the process is never complete. Sometimes the painting seems to move backward, or to change in form. There are times when the painting seems to be saying something else entirely.

The artist must be comfortable with this ambiguity. Todd White’s paintings are about ambiguity; about how we can see, or want to see, different things simultaneously; how two views can appear equally valid. The paintings are also about discovery and investigation, about looking hard at something and seeing it in a new way.

Todd White is a sculptor of great talent and range, a painter of exceptional sensitivity, a poet of uncommon grace and skill, and an author whose writings are both thought-provoking and life-changing.

Hunted by a pack of wild dogs, he was found by his mother, who took him in and raised him as her own. With a powerful blend of penetrating insight, wit, and passion Todd weaves a moving tale of his upbringing on the run and the dramatic turnaround when she gave him away to an isolated farm where he was adopted by an abusive alcoholic. His recollections of this troubled childhood are juxtaposed with his present insights into how his past still affects him today. For as Todd says, “No matter how long you’re gone or how far you’ve traveled in life, no matter how much money you make or how big your house is—if you grew up with issues in your family—they will come back to haunt you.”

And haunting them he has! An outspoken fighter against domestic violence and child abuse (his brother’s murder at the hands of their stepfather led to the creation of The Todd White Foundation), Todd uses his paintings as vehicles for social change through art education for children. His works have appeared in galleries all over the world

Todd White is a painter and sculptor who works in a variety of media. His work is concerned with the nature of art and references the history of painting, drawing, and sculpture. As an artist who has worked in many different areas, Todd White often uses “appropriation” as a technique. He also explores and experiments with materials and techniques as a means to generate new imagery and to discover new processes.

The following text is an essay written by Todd White and was published in conjunction with his exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, October 1996-January 1997. It was written specifically for this catalogue.