Sculptor Eddie White starts with a piece of paper or a thin sheet of plastic.
He cuts intricate lines – sometimes parallel, sometimes curved – and carefully twists the ribs apart. The flat surface suddenly becomes dimensional.
“What begins as a design consisting of two basic shapes can be manipulated in endless ways for different effects,” he said. “Other designs may simply be long, curved, abstract forms that might bring to mind plant or animal life.”
Once he has settled on a design, he then creates a model which he scales up to create large (usually steel) sculptures that can be found throughout the United States and as far away as China, Hong Kong and Malaysia.
” I am most often drawn to opposing shapes and double images; the juxtaposition of line and form…I strive to illuminate the visual significance and beauty that can be found within the technical design of a piece.”
Eddie lives with his wife Gwen in a home he designed and built on the Rocky River in Silk Hope. When he isn’t in his studios, there is a good chance you’ll find him outdoors or creating something in the kitchen.
Where to see his work:
Eddie is among 60 featured artists at this year’s Come Out & Play Sculpture Show, with receptions offered Saturday, Sept. 3, 10, 17 and 24 from 3 p.m. until dark. At JimGin Farm, 150 Wild Horse Run. With live music by the NC Songwriters Co-op.
Chatham County : at the Mary Hayes Barber Holmes Park and on the Central Carolina Community College campus in Pittsboro; and at the Courtyard Cafe in Siler City.
In the Triangle: at United Therapeutics in RTP; at Totopos and Lord Corporation in Cary; at Carolina 
Meadows in Chapel Hill; at Duke University School of Law in Durham; and at Regions Bank (Glenwood Ave.), the North Carolina State Bar 
building and the State Archives of North Carolina building in Raleigh.
From the artist:
Full name: Edwin Cornelius White, Jr.
I live in: Silk Hope
I grew up: in Winston-Salem, NC.
My childhood : was full of outdoor adventures – fishing, hunting, canoeing and camping with my buddies. We were obsessed!
One of my earliest memories is: accidentally being locked out of a hotel balcony door and having to ride down to the street on an emergency tilting staircase.
An early sign I was into sculpting was when I: started carving and turning wood on a lathe in middle school.
Some past jobs I’ve had: short order cook, restaurant manager, night watchman for a dorm, billboard painter, carpenter, graphic designer, product designer, draftsman.
I am most proud of: my family
If anything was possible, I’d sculpt: same stuff, bigger and better.
Most people don’t know: I was the 1982 Crab Picking Champion at Harborfest, Norfolk, Va.
My favorite spots in Chatham County are: on my deck overlooking the Rocky River, The City Tap, my studios at home.
Three Chatham County artists I admire are: Vidabeth Bensen, Beth Goldston, and Joan Sommers (now deceased).
Ten years from now you’ll probably find me: doing pretty much the same thing as now except even slower.
Links:
Chatham County Artists Guild bio
Video of an installation
About his sculpture on the CCCC campus
Photo Gallery:
Mariah Wheeler says
August 31, 2016 at 5:10 pmI loved reading this piece and seeing all the great photos. Thank you for writing it!
Stephen says
September 2, 2016 at 11:47 amThanks, Bett, for this and all the other great public-spirited things you have been doing for some time now! You are appreciated!
Bett Wilson Foley says
September 2, 2016 at 6:35 pmThanks so much! This means a lot to me. 🙂