Mr. Forager’s tastes are a bit unpredictable.  I never know which artist’s work he’s going to connect with and I’m often surprised by the ones he choses as favorites.  But when we were looking for something to watch after an afternoon of imbibing at a local home-brew festival, I knew we couldn’t go wrong with Wayne White.  Neil Berkeley’s Beauty is Embarrassing takes a look at the highs and lows in the career of this Southern boy turned media and art world darling.

There are a lot of ways in which Mr. F & I identify with White and his journey.  Growing up in rural Tennessee, White knew the struggle of loving home yet finding it suffocating.  Knowing that to stay might mean to give up on who you truly are, to forfeit a dream.  Leaving Tennessee was a turning point for White, just as leaving Florida was for both Mr. F and myself.  Sometimes, it is only upon leaving the familiar to realize our dreams and our authentic selves.

We’ve both at times found ourselves not quite buying into the expectations that were set before us.  That in order to belong, we had to conform to the commonality around us.  Traveling has opened our eyes to different ways of thinking, different ways of living and being.  We’ve learned that there is no right or wrong way, there is only the way that is right for you.

For White, art-making does not mean being a serious artiste.  His self-proclaimed goal is to “bring humor into fine art. Not art world funny but real world funny.”  Mr. F has a wicked sense of humor and we are both huge believers in the insight and ease humor brings to complicated  subjects and feelings.  Just because White’s work makes us laugh, doesn’t mean it doesn’t have something important to say.

As an artist, White also allows himself and his work to evolve, yet retain his own genuine artistic voice.  Whether he is illustrating a cartoon, designing sets or gigantic Lyndon Johnson heads, what comes out is authentically White– irreverent, playful, but filled with dark truths.  It seems that for White, the finding happens along the way, different paths of creativity lead over, around and into one another.  His artistic journey mimics the connectedness of the way our own pathways evolve and intersect.  But he does it while playing the banjo.  Match point to Mr. White.

If you’re looking for a few hours of inspiration and truth veiled in lots of Southern humor and explicit language ( the “F” word is White’s fave, he & Mr. F have that in common.. ), check out Beauty is Embarrassing.  Wayne White wants you to persevere in whatever your creative path and after you watch, you’ll believe you can.

See more of Wayne White‘s artwork on his website and check out interviews, film stills, etc. on the Beauty is Embarrassing site.  And guess who I’m now following on Instagram..

Top photo found here.   All others via the film’s website.