Staff photo by Connor Cummiskey Portrait artist Reed White will present an exhibit of his work at the Grand Center for Arts & Culture. The opening reception will be Friday from 7 to 9 p.m.

NEW ULM — A Mankato artist’s portraits will tell the stories of their subjects during the upcoming art show at The Grand Center for Arts and Culture.

An opening reception for the Portraiture of Reed White will be held Friday, June 1, at the Four Pillars Gallery, 7-9 p.m.

“My portraiture is not meant to be flattering,” Artist Reed White said. “It is more about color combinations, mark making and enjoying the paint. I like the gooey drips and the way paint blends, transparent layers and the natural qualities of paint.”

He describes his portraits as more expressionist than realist in his attempt to capture the essence of his subjects.

Beauty, being in the eye of the beholder, is almost synonymous with the grotesque in White’s eyes.

His paintings draw viewers’ eyes with drips, globs and marks. The natural flaws in the process of painting are what White relishes.

He pointed out an example in a portrait of an older couple titled “Chuck & Carol” that hangs in the gallery.

A suited man stands behind a woman seated at a table prepared for breakfast with a copy of the Star Tribune. Just above the man is the faint outline of his head and shoulders, where White moved him from.

Because he likes to focus on the unique features of a person, blemishes and all, White is less interested in selling portraits to his subjects.

He views his subjects like interesting physical objects, focusing on how a person’s physical features can carry their tale.

“Like an old catfish with scars and a milky eye,” White said. “We all, as we age and evolve and it (our body) tells our story.”

White mostly works on getting into shows or landing grants, instead of making a living only selling his paintings.

He recently earned a 2018 Minnesota Artist Initiative grant for $10,000 to paint 18 portraits from his community to be displayed in the Carnegie Art Center in Mankato in February, 2019.

White comes from a family of artists. His grandfather was a political cartoonist and both his brother and father were artists.

His first college education was an unusual jaunt. He spent four years attending classes at the University of Minnesota, though he spent two years not registered for class.

“I would just go get an admin slip and ask if I could get into the class and they said yes, I would get a signature and throw that away and just attend the class, because I did not think an artist needed a degree,” White said.

White attended the College of Visual Arts in 1993 after realizing the importance of a degree. He earned an illustration BFA in 1997.

After spending some time as a commercial illustrator as a day job, White went on to get a master’s degree in painting in 2017 from the University of Minnesota, Mankato.

The 4 Pillars Gallery is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. White’s paintings will be on display through June 29.

ccummiskey@nujournal.com