Dan's Cover Artist Nelson H. White – Making Art Since the 1950s

This week’s cover comes to us from Nelson H. White, who is represented by Grenning Gallery in Sag Harbor. The cover features a detailed view of “Bagno Paradiso,” one of more than 200 works that White has exhibited through Grenning Gallery.

Born in New London, Connecticut in 1932, White has been surrounded by art and artists since the very beginning. His art training began early on, from respected American painters Nelson Cooke White, his father, and Henry Cooke White, his grandfather.

While living with his parents at the Florence Griswold House in Old Lyme, CT, he met some of the most important and influential artists of the day: Childe Hassam, Will Howe Foote and Harry Hoffman. Later, Nelson White’s father began to take his family to summer on Shelter Island and became friendly with many of the Peconic Colony artists, such as Irving R. Wiles, an important American Impressionist.

After graduating from the Tabor Academy in Marion, Massachusetts, in 1951, Nelson H. White began to study at Mitchell College in Connecticut but left to pursue studies in the violin, musical theory and composition. At this time, he began to spend more time studying art with his father and grandfather.

By 1955, White had decided to devote himself to a career as a painter and traveled to Florence, Italy, to become an apprentice to Pietro Annigoni, the world-renowned Florentine master. Within two years, the young White had won two awards for his work. While in Florence, he also studied with the great Italian teacher, Nerina Simi.

Today, White divides his time between the United States and Florence. Although he has received instruction from some very important artists, White’s work is highly individual. He paints with great spirit.

Upon seeing his work, one quickly senses White’s great love for nature and the outdoors. Through his eyes, we can view and interpret nature in an intimate manner. Whether White is painting the Connecticut shore, a beach in Italy, a pond on Shelter Island or the hills of Vermont, he allows the observer to view a soft, yet dramatic side of nature.

His ability to use color, coupled with rich brushwork and graduation of light, air and atmosphere allows one to enjoy a certain mood which is conveyed in White’s paintings. It is a mood that leaves us with a lasting impression. White has shown his work in numerous galleries across the globe since the 1950s, from the United States to Italy and Russia. White’s first museum retrospective was in the New Britain Museum of American Art in July 2012. His work can be found in many private and public collections, as well as several museums.

To see more of White’s work and to inquire about purchasing an artwork from Grenning Gallery, visit grenninggallery.com/artistdetail-75.php