Artist David White

Abstract Expressionist | Narrative Landscapes of the Mind

David White is an Australian artist, illustrator, and multimedia designer whose career spans over four decades across fine art, publishing, television, and corporate media.

As a painter, David draws on personal experience—emotional memories, fractured dreams, and life’s tensions—to create psychological landscapes that invite reflection and conversation. His works, influenced by surrealism and neo-expressionism, merge graffiti-style brushwork, layered textures, and a restrained yet vivid palette. The Australian outback often appears as both subject and metaphor, symbolising survival, fragility, and emotional endurance.

Using acrylics, oils, and resin on canvas or timber, David constructs visual ecosystems where beauty and chaos coexist. His paintings are not mere depictions but metaphoric narratives—survival stories told in paint. Exhibited nationally, his work is known for being both deeply personal and unflinchingly critical, exploring the parallels between environmental wildness and the instability of the modern world.

In parallel with his art practice, David has had an extensive career in illustration, editorial design, and interactive multimedia, working with major media outlets, corporate clients, and educational institutions. He has combined traditional illustration skills with advanced computer-aided design and was an early adopter of digital publishing and 3D modelling in corporate communication.

Artist – Abstract Expressionism & Narrative Landscapes – 1997 to Present

Full-time art practice focusing on psychological landscapes informed by personal experience, emotional memory, and the Australian environment.
Developed a distinct style influenced by surrealism and neo-expressionism, blending graffiti-style brushwork, layered textures, and restrained yet vivid colour palettes.
Themes explore the Australian outback as both subject and metaphor, reflecting survival, fragility, and emotional endurance.
Works employ acrylics, oils, and resin on canvas or timber, creating layered visual “ecosystems” where beauty and chaos coexist.
Exhibited nationally, with works held in private collections across Australia.
Continues to produce art that is both deeply personal and socially critical, inviting reflection on the instability of the modern world.

Freelance Illustrator & Multimedia Designer – 1992 to 1997

Clients included News Ltd (Sunday Herald), BHP, Esso Australia, and Kvaerner.

Developed interactive multimedia and CD-ROM projects for corporate communication.
Produced 3D models, digital illustrations, and cross-platform media (Mac & Windows).
Created the first unofficial interactive version of Business Review Weekly for BHP Minerals Division.
Delivered high-end visualisations and graphics for major oilfield development projects.
Taught illustration and computer graphics at TAFE while promoting new media to corporate audiences.

Editorial Artist & Graphic Designer – The Age, 1979 to 1992

Designed and illustrated feature pages and news graphics.
Managed evening editorial graphics team, overseeing five staff artists.
Liaised with editorial and production teams to maintain visual standards and meet deadlines.
Produced freelance commercial illustration work alongside editorial duties.

Graphic Designer – Channel 10, 1977 to 1978

Produced broadcast graphics and illustrations for television news.

Freelance Graphic Artist – United Kingdom, 1976 to 1977

Provided illustration and finished art for publications and advertising clients.

Technical Assistant – Educational Resources – Melbourne University, 1974 to 1975

Produced educational graphics and photographic materials for videos and publications.

David White