Rodney White – America’s Most Popular Artist – Move Over Andy Warhol
If you’ve ever seen ABC’s sitcom “Freddie” and ABC’s “Extreme Makeover Home Edition,” you may have already seen some of Rodney White’s phenomenal artwork. Every once in a while something so unique, eye-catching and visually pleasing comes along that it really grabs you. This is the case of the winning combination of color, rustic style and timely messages that Rodney White has created.
One reviewer writes of Rodney White’s work: “The most amazing aspect of this work is that it is not created on a computer, but on a canvas. I am in awe of these wonderful typographic beauties. The retro feel, the grunch effect and the nice the color combinations make them really stand out. Most of his work contains meaningful messages. Rodney also uses different materials and techniques, mainly acrylic. Most of his paintings are on wood, but some are on metal and there is even one on panel fake brick.”
This Georgian artist, now a New Yorker living in Brooklyn, has a growing audience that buys and collects his works. His popularity skyrocketed after his national television exposure, and the past two years have been a turning point for the self-taught artist who hails from Augusta, Georgia.
Rodney White was born in Augusta in 1976. He lived in Atlanta from 1997 to 2005 and then moved to Brooklyn, New York, where he works and lives. During his time in Atlanta, Rodney attended a technical institute to study visual communications in 1999. In 2003, he had his first solo show. His “Solo Shows” include the following: 2005 “Future Becomings” Claret Arts: Atlanta, Georgia; 2004 “Retro Notions” Claret Arts: Atlanta, Georgia; 2004 “Recent Works” Octane: Atlanta, Georgia; and 2003 “Love is…” Open Artist Studio: Atlanta, Georgia.
Since 2004, Rodney White has also amassed a large list of credits for “Group Exhibitions” where his work has been admired. These include the following:
2006 “Planes, Trains, and Automobiles” Anchorage Museum of History and Art: Anchorage, Alaska; 2006 “Two Person Exhibition: Recent Works” Tag Art Gallery: Nashville, Tennessee; 2005 “Think Small Exhibition” Art 6 Gallery: Richmond, VA; 2005 Affordable Art Fair: Clapham Art Gallery (London, UK) New York, NY; 2005 “Open Gallery Show” E. Weber Gallery: Atlanta, Georgia; 2005 Decatur Walk of the Arts: Decatur, Georgia; 2005 Art Expo New York; 2004 Spin & Gin Fundraiser: Atlanta, Georgia; 2004 Decatur Walk of the Arts: Decatur, Georgia; 2004 “Group Exhibition: Recent Works” Iridium Gallery: Roswell, Georgia; 2004 “Open Gallery Show” Iridium Gallery: Roswell, Georgia; and 2004 “Roswell Art Walk” Taylor Kinzel Gallery: Roswell, Georgia.
In addition to his group and solo shows, the Rodney White exhibition took on national proportions with the following credits: 2005 Art World News article, April issue; 2005 Extreme Makeover Home Edition, 4 paintings chosen to complete a new house; 2005 ABC sitcom “Freddie” Image of Rodney White chosen for part of permanent set design; 2005 article in Access Atlanta Exhibition Review; 2006 Extreme Makeover Home Edition, 9 pieces chosen to complete a new home; and TBS’s 2006 Movie and a Makeover, original art commission for a room design.
What does Rodney think about his exposure on network television? “There seems to be a gravitational pull between my work and ABC. My work was chosen to appear in the Extreme Makeover Home Edition with the Crawford Smith family. There were 9 pieces hanging in the house, AND you could actually see them on TV. It was a total surprise to me my mom called me while i was painting to tell me and almost immediately after the pictures were shown my phones started ringing off the hook with calls from friends and family saying they saw it and people congratulating me it was a big deal the first time and big deal again. What you saw in the exhibition were canvas transfers of my paintings.”
If you asked Rodney what inspires him, he would say, “Everything. I see things everywhere and every day that give me insight into my pieces. I love visiting flea markets and antique markets. nature of the things that surround us”. I am struck by the billboards, the buildings, the packages and the aged paper. I’m looking to replicate the rusty, decaying look of things I see.”
Where did your desire to be an artist begin? He claims that he has dabbled in art since his preschool days. He tells the story of how he rushed to do his classwork so he could be the first to return to the box of scratch paper in the classroom. In fact, he admits that he filled out the blank front and back pages of encyclopedias because he thought, “Those sheets were put there for me.”
As Rodney further elaborates on his take on his own work, he shares his fascination with poetry, typography, advertising design, and vintage signs. He says that by trying to encourage others to notice those things that he is, he “learns, teaches and inspires.” Describing his work and its connection to the past, he says, “The past has always been something I felt we could/should learn from, and advertising has always been a reflection of desires and social norms that are carried cape”. the hearts and minds of consumers. Well… what if those driven desires became more influential in a positive way on our minds and inner selves? Thus giving us something to assimilate into the way we live our lives and approach the world around us.”
Rodney has a love of things deteriorating which includes objects and surfaces. He notices how things have developed and aged. He takes note of old labels, old books, and old posters that have that “seasoned look.” Because he believes that art will be around for a long time, he feels that the best way to leave messages is through art.
Rodney also says that he is inspired by music, other artists, poets, and literature. He enjoys music of all kinds, saying, “I’m working on a slight taste for country. And that doesn’t seem to be working. It’s a lot harder than I thought.” Other artists he admires include: Sabrina Ward Harrison, Rik Catlow, Anja Kroenke, Tim Marrs, and Ashley Wood. Among the poets he reads are Saul Williams and Sabrina Ward Harrison.
When talking about his friends, Rodney says, “A lot of my paintings come from what I often write in my journal/idea books. A lot of times my friends and people I know say the most brilliant things and sometimes they never do.” They mean it. The way I hear them. My luck, I guess.”
When asked about his interests, Rodney says, “I love furniture and dreaming of living spaces. Decoration stuff. Movies, collecting and listening to 2 music. Books (Angels, Aliens, Theology) and Writing. Learning to enjoy small things in life like walking barefoot in the sand riding a bike around town daily outings listening to my ipod (I tend to visit new places when I do this) talking and making…connections with people learning about the people and their stories. Everyone has them, not everyone has someone who wants to listen to them and DREAM… Always dreaming”.
