October Issue 2001
Coleman Fine Art in Charleston, SC, Features Works by Mary Whyte
Mary Whyte's highly anticipated show, Making Silence
Speak, opens Nov. 2 at Coleman Fine Art, in Charleston, SC.
The show will continue through Dec. 1, 2001.
Whyte is best known for her watercolor portraits and her Lowcountry Series, a moving collection of watercolors that depicts the rich heritage and culture of the Gullah people. Most recently, she gained national notoriety for her watercolor portrait, Iron Man, of Charleston's world famous iron craftsman, Philip Simmons. The portrait was purchased by The Gibbes Museum of Art for their permanent collection. Her work is exhibited in over two hundred corporate, university, museum, and private collections.
"While history books may record factual information about how our circumstances came to be, the true story of a person's journey can only be realized through the tilt of a head, the squaring of the shoulders or the tentative hand resting in the crook of a tree" writes Whyte.
When viewing the works of Whyte we are aware we are seeing through the eyes of a painter who is not of color and has never experienced the hardships or joys of growing up African-American in America. This anomaly, in the end, may be what makes this exhibition all the more compelling. The collection of watercolors tells us not only what it is like to be African-American living in the Gullah tradition of SC, but also what it feels like to one who is not.
Whyte has spent the last ten years documenting in watercolor this truly American biography. What has resulted is a noteworthy glimpse of a rapidly changing culture.
Mary Whyte has earned national recognition as both an artist and illustrator. Ranging from languid scenes of life in the Lowcountry to vibrant still lifes, many of Whyte's paintings have been exhibited in some of the nation's most prestigious shows, including the American Watercolor Society and the Allied Artists of America. Other exhibitions that have featured her work are the Philadelphia Art Show, the Adirondacks National Exhibition of American Watercolors, the Pennsylvania Watercolor Society, the SC Watercolor Society, the California Watercolor Society, and Realism '96 in Parkersburg, WV. Whyte is a graduate of the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, PA.
Perhaps best known for her distinctive portraits, Whyte has traveled the country capturing personalities on canvas and paper. Whether of a child in a tree or a judge in official robes, Whyte's portraits grace hundreds of private homes and universities. Her work is included in numerous corporate collections such as that of Bell Atlantic in Arlington, VA, The Easter Seals Society, West Chester University, Gwynedd Mercy College, Heritage Beverage Company, The Penn Club in New York, The University of Pennsylvania, The Medical University of South Carolina, Wabash College, Genesee Bank, and the Banco di Roma in Rome, Italy.
An avid teacher and writer, Whyte conducts painting workshops each year in different locations across the country. Several of her articles have been featured in American Artist and Watercolor magazines. The popular instructional book entitled, Watercolor for the Serious Beginner, written entirely by Whyte, was published by Watson-Guptill and is now in its third printing.
In recent years, Whyte has turned some of her attention to illustrating children's books, having several projects published by Chronicle Books in San Francisco and Dial Books of New York. Many of the illustrations are now in collections of private individuals and institutions including the Mazza Collection of Children's Book Illustrations of the University of Findlay in Ohio.
In the fall of 1996, Whyte became affiliated with the prestigious New York Graphic Society, who is marketing her art through their catalogue of reproductions that is distributed worldwide. Her first reproductions with them were of two still-life paintings that had been hurried into exhibits at the Pennsylvania Watercolor Society and the American Watercolor Society.
Whyte was recently awarded first place in the Florence, South Carolina Museum 2001 Statewide Art Competition for her image of Sister Heyward, and the piece titled Dream of the Ancestors was awarded the Savoir-Faire award at the 2001 California Watercolor Association National Exhibition.
Mary Whyte currently lives with her husband on Seabrook Island near Charleston, SC, where she continues to accept portrait commissions.
For further information check our SC Commercial Gallery listings, contact Becca Ansert, Gallery Director at 843/853-7000, e-mail (colemanfinearts@aol.com), or on the web at (http://www.colemanfineart.com).
Editor's Note: On Oct. 5, from 5-8pm, the Gibbes Museum of Art in downtown Charleston, SC, will feature artist and illustrator, Mary Whyte, during the ever-popular French Quarter ART WALK. Whyte's paintings, which range from languid scenes of Lowcountry life to vibrant portraits and still lifes, have been exhibited in some of the nation's most prestigious art shows. Just two years ago, Whyte painted a portrait for the Gibbes entitled Iron Man featuring Charleston's famous Ironsmith, Philip Simmons.
Whyte will be giving art demonstrations during the ART WALK from 6 - 6:45pm in the Gibbes main gallery. She will illustrate the dynamics of creating a figure study from a live model. Whyte will also sign copies of her books which can be purchased in the Gibbes gift shop.
This event is free as will be admission to the Gibbes that evening as it always is during the French Quarter ART WALKs.
For further info call Sharla Helms, Gift Shop Manager, at 843/722-2706 at ext. 18.
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