Artist Todd White - All art work available, originals, signed limited edition prints and sculptures. Meet Todd in Liverpool 15th June 2013.
Todd white captures restaurant, night and Hollywood scenes with contrasting colors serving the viewer's eyes as those in his stolen scenes serve or are served-wine, coffee, cigarettes, cigars, martinis and sex. He creates timeless scenes of diverse attraction, of known intimacy. Within the exaggerated features and textured skin of his characters lies truth, yours and theirs.
Distinctive bodies and details to lips, eyes, hair, skin, hands and what is held in each, separate and blend his characters' lives. The smoke that rises from their lips, the drinks that linger at their fingertips, the clothing that adorns their bodies and the crowd created among lovers, friends, patrons and co-workers all speak a certain poetry.
Each character depicts the subtleties of what one shows and what one hides. An asymmetrical face tells of an asymmetrical life, of how life wears and how we wear life - what we choose to carry in our hands and on our faces - how we wear ourselves, what smoke and color we stand in.
Todd's paintings are captivating, demanding a second look, often invoking humor or thoughts of familiar feelings - 'I've been there, I know them.' Above all, the work is infectious and has caught the attention of the public (galleries cannot keep enough of Todd's work in stock) as well as celebrities (Vin Diesel, Hugh Hefner, Michael Douglas, Macaulay Culkin and Joe Roggin are collectors of Todd?s oil paintings). But who is the artist behind the art and where did his unique style come from?
Todd began in at Warner Bros. Studios while working on the popular series, Tiny Toons. Through character clean-up and development, Todd began to forge his own artistic style. Shortly thereafter, Todd became part of the lead animation team for the internationally renowned cartoon, Sponge Bob Square Pants. Over the next three years, Todd sharpened his eye in storyboarding, illustration and character design.
Throughout this period, Todd privately experimented with style and concept, eventually arriving at a process which guides him through every piece. The impact is apparent in his paintings; Todd's rat-pack-meets-Picasso style results, in part, from his desire to reveal his characters' innermost thoughts and emotions on their faces. Todd likens his portraits to his favorite episode of the 'Twilight Zone' in which people wore masks that later became their faces and revealed who they truly were.
'My inspiration comes from a variety of sources?books, television, movies, magazines, conversations, etc.?but I am first and foremost an observational artist. Everywhere I go, I sketch people. Then, when I come up with the concept for a piece, I will look for images that fit or inspire me. I will then work up the final
concept through a series of sketches. I don't experience; I observe. Very little of my art is autobiographical. I actually name my pieces first and then I develop each person's story.'