Artist Highlight

                       

BRYANT WHITE

 

 I have been an artist as long as I can remember. I realize how fortunate I am to have known what I wanted to do as a profession for most of my life. I have been interested in 18th Century American History for most of my life as well. These two passions are combined in my paintings. Reading first person accounts, diaries, journals, and publications of the 18th Century are what inspire me to create this artwork. The remarkable experiences of our ancestors are what I try to capture on canvas... The hardships, the joys, the lesser known stories that we can all learn from. I have visited all of the sites that I have painted, which gives me a great perspective, being able to stand in the same place as our forefathers have, and in many cases, to have the same view. So many things have changed since the Colonial times; I try to be as accurate as possible in the material culture shown in my work by studying period artifacts in museums and private collections. My artwork is created for several reasons. My primary reason is to educate the public in the history of America...to draw them into our past, where they may learn. An axiom of many historians is “ those who don’t know their past are doomed to repeat it’s mistakes”. I hope my artwork will inspire generations to avoid those mistakes made by gaining interest in history. Another reason of course, is deep desire to create. The process can sometimes be tedious, with many hours devoted to research, sketches, and finally the layout of the composition, but after the final brush stroke of oil paint, the feeling of making art that many people can enjoy is very satisfying.