Richard White, born in 1944 in Oak Park, Illinois, graduated from Mercer Island High School in Seattle, Washington. He earned a B.F.A. in Sculpture and Art History from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in 1969, an M.A.Ed./Psy. in Education and Psychology from Alliant University in San Diego, and an M.F.A. in Painting and Art History from the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. Following his studies, he worked in set design for the Melbourne National Ballet in Australia. Later, he accepted a teaching role at Balob Teachers College in Lae, Papua New Guinea.