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October Issue 2005
Coleman Fine Art in Charleston, SC, Offers Works by Mary Whyte
Mary
Whyte's highly anticipated exhibit of new paintings will open
Nov. 4, 2005, at Coleman Fine Art located in downtown Charleston,
SC. The exhibit opening coincides with the seventh Fine Arts Annual,
hosted by the Charleston Fine Art Dealers' Association.
Whyte has spent most of her life painting people. From the artist's childhood renditions of her Amish neighbors in Ohio, to more involved works depicting today's people of the South Carolina Lowcountry, Whyte has always turned her easel towards the people closest to her. "If we can't see the beauty in the people around us," says the artist, "why bother to look at all."
In more recent years her paintings have achieved a quality and scale rarely seen in watercolor. Her range and apparent ease with the paint is considerable, and the skin tones and textures she achieves in her works have a richness and luminosity not often associated with such an illusive medium. Says Betsy Fleming, former Director of the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, "Mary Whyte, as a painter, illustrator, teacher and writer, is today on Charleston's vanguard advancing the visual arts of the Lowcountry to new levels of technique and expression."
Explaining how she decides on what subject to paint the artist says, "Our paintings find us." Many of Whyte's paintings are inspired by her neighbors. Other works are often the result from trips to further destinations. The paintings of Whyte's seem to evolve with age and the people she meets. At mid career, the artist's command of the watercolor medium is what many critics would deem as complete. To Whyte, it isn't enough, a philosophy she reiterates in her newest book titled, An Artist's Way of Seeing, (Wyrick & Co.). For her, one must learn to feel as well as see in order to become a complete artist and person.
Whyte will host a guided tour of the exhibit and sign books on Nov. 19, 2005, from 5-6pm. The event is free but reservations are required.
For more info check our SC Commercial Gallery listings, call the gallery at 843/853-7000 or at (www.colemanfineart.com).
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