Oil Paintings on Display at the Library

Robert White didn’t grow up in a wealth family.

But the Oswego resident didn’t need the best toys and games to keep him busy. Instead, White would look for the nearest paper and pencil.

“I remember seeing a drawing of something as a kid, and I said I wanted to do that,” White said. “Once I started drawing I didn’t want to stop. I just kept doing it.”

Years later, while White was in the army, his corporal officer asked him to create some murals for the walls of the barracks.

White happily obliged.

“I was impressed with the fact that I could show my fellow soldiers what I could do,” he said.

His passion for painting began then.

“I enjoyed the smell of the paint, the mixing of the paint,” he said. “It’s a medium most people think is hard to control but I wanted to be good at something. When I got out of the army, that’s what I kept doing.”

Some of White’s oil paintings are currently on display in the Yorkville Public Library. Library personnel regularly showcase artwork from area residents on the library's second floor. Exhibits usually change each six to eight weeks.

White enjoys painting animals and landscapes. He also incorporates a spiritual theme into his work.

“In the past I thought of myself as a starving artist until I looked at my waistline,” White said with a laugh. “Then I called myself a God artist. Because the talent He gave to me. I’m a freelance artist with a God touch.”

Library employee Sharyl Iwanski lauds White’s paintings.

“His work is very vivid and colorful,” she said.

White, who also works as a security guard, has shown his work at the DuSable Museum of African American History in Chicago and the Oswego Public Library.

He hopes he can be an inspiration to others, especially juveniles and teenagers.

“Even though we were poor growing up, I realized I could still make a difference,” White said. “Now I’m trying to encourage kids and teenagers that if you’re not sure what you want to do, just try something and stay positive about whatever they want to do.”

White visited the Art Institute of Chicago for the first time a few years ago with his daughter.

“I loved it,” he said. “As I was viewing it I was thinking, ‘Am I that good?’ I just wanted to keep focusing on trying to be as good as the masters. I’m not perfect but I try to be the best I can be. I enjoy doing it. Most people call it a hobby. I call it a passion.”