Wayne White has built a career that most creatives yearn for. A revered visual artist, illustrator, art director, puppeteer, performer and musician, White has charmed viewers for decades with his highly-imaginative, abstract, colorful, lively aesthetic. His contributions to visual culture cannot overstated; much of what we identify as pinnacle work in arts and entertainment were influenced by White, if not directly created by him. From the set and character design of the beloved television show Pee Wee’s Playhouse (for which he won three Emmy awards), to the art direction of music videos such as the Smashing Pumpkin’s “Tonight, Tonight” and Peter Gabriel’s “Big Time,” White is responsible for delivering some of the most iconic and cherished visual moments for audiences internationally.
Raised in Chattanooga, White went on to study visual art at Middle Tennessee State University before relocating to New York City. It was there that he met his wife, artist Mimi Pond, and further developed his art career. The couple have since resided in Los Angeles for many years where they raised their two children, yet White continues to acknowledge the American South as instrumental to his work.
Recently, White’s solo exhibition Like You Know (November 20, 2025-January 9, 2026) graced the walls and the halls of the Haley Gallery in downtown Nashville. The exhibition shared a number of White’s word paintings, as well as featured his large puppets during a musical performance in the gallery. The following interview was held while Like You Know was on view at the Haley Gallery, and addresses a portion of the facets and influences that inform White’s extensive career. A big thank you to Haley gallery director and curator Daniel Lonlow for arranging this interview, to Amiee Stubbs for her photography of the exhibition, and, of course, to Wayne White for taking the time to answer my questions. You have brought much joy to the lives of many.
What is your earliest memory of your burgeoning interest in art?
Scratching a sailboat into the dining room tabletop when I was three.
How have you witnessed this early interest reveal itself in your current work?
I like to alter things.
“Drawing was fun. I could entertain myself. Better yet, I could get attention from adults and other kids. It was powerful magic.”
What motivated and/or inspired you to pursue art making?
Drawing was fun. I could entertain myself. Better yet, I could get attention from adults and other kids. It was powerful magic.
How has being an artist from the South informed your work?
I like green woods, mountains, country music, cornbread and beans, shacks, stories, cartoon hillbillies, and dry humor. It’s all in my work.
Having lived in both NYC and LA during your career, what were the benefits of living in these cities that you were not able to experience had you stayed in the South? And do you think artists currently in the South can experience these said benefits should they decide not to relocate?
I couldn’t be the artist I wanted to be in the South in 1980. Impossible. So, I moved to NYC. Things have changed now. You can connect from anywhere. But it’s still important for the artist to get out of your culture and try new things. The big cities teach you a million things. You can always return. Don’t be a bubble baby.
Your imagery has an abstract, playful aesthetic. What motivates you to work in this manner?
I like to laugh and be spontaneous.
“I like to laugh and be spontaneous.”
Do you find that there is a particular voice or point of view that you are only able to activate visually, that does not translate as well through other forms of communication? If so, why do you think this is?
Painting makes you stop and stare one to one. That silent intimate moment is its unique power.
Why do you think the art world at large takes itself so seriously?
Money
What role, if any, does music have in your art?
They both rely on rhythm in space and time. They are both balancing acts. Music is way better at piercing your heart though.
Much of your work is quite theatrical—enormous puppets, sets for iconic productions such as Pee Wee’s Playhouse (which I watched every morning as a kid, by the way—thank you for this) and the music video for the Smashing Pumpkin’s “Tonight, Tonight.” Looking strictly at form, there is such a contrast between these and the physically two-dimensional work you also create such as your word paintings (which my partner has coasters of in our living room that we hide when our parents visit, ha!) Even though the artistic mediums are wildly different, there is still a sense of continuity in your forms/aesthetic. I’m so impressed and baffled by your versatility, and have been trying to think of a better way to ask this question, but this is all I’ve got: Where does this vision come from? How do you do it?
You think I know? I don’t. It’s no good to analyze yourself that way. Just keep moving.
I love that you married an incredible artist, Mimi Pond. Do you ever collaborate on your artwork? If so, what works?
Our beautiful children and house are our greatest collaborations.
What method would you prefer one take when making a critique of your art: a formal, contextual, or expressive approach? Why?
All three. Bring on all discussions. I like to hear what my work means to other people because it’s up for grabs.
“I like to hear what my work means to other people because it’s up for grabs.”
Who and/or what are some of your biggest artistic influences? How? Why?
All the Mad magazine artists for humor and graphic punch. Ralph Steadman for line and drama. Claes Oldenburg for form and performance. Red Grooms for scale and joy. Phillip Guston for change. Picasso for mutation. Warner Brothers and Disney cartoons for color. Agnes Martin and Ad Reinhardt for being the coolest cucumbers. Francis Picabia for nuttiness. Willem de Kooning for action. Winslow Homer for meditation. Nicolas Poussin for composition. Buster Keaton for invention. George Jones for heart. Cormac McCarthy for tone.
How does your work demonstrate departure from the above influences?
No departure. It’s all in there.
What upcoming projects and/or exhibitions do you have planned within the next 12 months?
Retrospective show at the Knoxville Museum of Art opening March 26.
What are your goals for your art within the next 12 months?
Make art everyday.
“Make art everyday.”
Non-art question time: What’s your favorite food and drink?
Beans and cornbread. Topo Chico.
Band(s) and/or record(s)?
The Replacements,Lambchop,Yo La Tengo,The Beatles,The Beach Boys,Iggy and The Stooges, Buck Owens and the Buckaroos,George Jones, The Smiths, Nick Lowe,Charlie Feathers, Lefty Frizzell and many more.
Movie(s)?
Sullivan’s Travels, Coen Brother’s True Grit, Topsy Turvy, La Strada, Princess Mononoke, Days of Heaven, The General
Money’s not a factor, you will burn no social bridges, and you’re guaranteed a comfortable lifestyle no matter what—where would you live, and what would you do?
I love my house and would stay here and enjoy traveling in my private jet and trying not to be an asshole.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Never give up.