| For more information about this article or gallery, please call the gallery phone number listed in the last line of the article, "For more info..." |
June Issue 2003
Coleman Fine Art in Charleston, SC, Host Book Signing for Mary Whyte
Charleston artist Mary Whyte has written a book which has just been released. The story, Alfreda's World published by Wyrick & Company, focuses on the shared experiences and values that deepened the friendship between two remarkable women. It is told in the touching watercolors and drawings that Whyte created over a ten-year period and is the personal narrative of an artist who encounters the Gullah culture and its remarkable people. A book signing is scheduled for June 14, 2003 from 2-4pm in the garden at Coleman Fine Art in Charleston, SC. Signed copies may be reserved in advance.
Mary Whyte, a Caucasian, moved to an island on the South Carolina coast and developed close friendships within the African-American community. Soon after her arrival and quite by accident, she met Alfreda LaBoard, and her intrepid group of senior citizens who gather weekly to make quilts and socialize in a small rural church. Long time residents of Johns Island and descendants of slaves, these women would change her life and her paintings in astonishing and unexpected ways.
Alfreda's World blends Whyte's beautiful art works with her narrative of this unique relationship. It is a story that crosses racial and cultural borders and reaches straight to the heart.
Whyte is best known for her watercolor portraits and her Lowcountry Series, a moving collection of watercolors that depict the rich heritage and culture of the Gullah people. Her work is exhibited in over two hundred corporate, university, museum, and private collections. Whyte has been teaching for over twenty years and is the illustrator of more than a dozen children's books. She has written several feature articles for American Artist, The Artist's Magazine and Watercolor magazines. She is also the author of the popular instructional book, Watercolor for the Serious Beginner, published by Watson-Guptill and now in its fourth printing.
The Greenville County Museum of Art in Greenville, SC, will present the exhibition, Alfreda's World, a retrospective of original watercolor paintings from the book of the same title, from June 11 through Aug. 31, 2003. The Museum will also host a one-day workshop, July 12, and a gallery talk on July 13, 2003.
For more information contact Rebecca Ansert, gallery director at 843/853-7000, e-mail at (info@colemanfineart.com), or on the web at (www.colemanfineart.com). Contact the Greenville County Museumat 864/271-7570.
Carolina Arts is published monthly by Shoestring Publishing
Company, a subsidiary of PSMG, Inc.
Copyright© 2003 by PSMG, Inc., which published Charleston
Arts from July 1987 - Dec. 1994 and South Carolina Arts
from Jan. 1995 - Dec. 1996. It also publishes Carolina Arts
Online, Copyright© 2003 by PSMG, Inc. All rights reserved
by PSMG, Inc. or by the authors of articles. Reproduction or use
without written permission is strictly prohibited. Carolina
Arts is available throughout North & South Carolina.