“Working South” book by Mary Whyte / Image: SC.edu

Mary Whyte is the most talented watercolorist I think I’ve ever seen. Her work is so amazing, I can’t even figure out HOW she can paint what she does. With watercolor HOW do you paint a persons arm so that you can see how humid it is, you can see the moisture… ? Fred and I have watched Mary paint at the plain air event in Charleston and it truly takes your breath away. She is gifted beyond words. You can see Mary’s work, in Charleston, SC, at the Coleman Fine Art Gallery!

T H E   B O O K 

The book “Working South” can be purchased at the gallery (with the bonus of Mary’s signature and little drawing inside the front cover), or from other booksellers such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc. It is a staggering group of the hardest working people, you can feel their strength, exhaustion, excitement and frustration. It is truly a book you can FEEL and you won’t be disappointed . Here’s a blip about the book from SC.edu:

In Working South, renowned watercolorist Mary Whyte captures in exquisite detail the essence of vanishing blue-collar professions from across ten states in the American South with sensitivity and reverence for her subjects. From the textile mill worker and tobacco farmer to the sponge diver and elevator operator, Whyte has sought out some of the last remnants of rural and industrial workforces declining or altogether lost through changes in our economy, environment, technology, and fashion. She shows us a shoeshine man, a hat maker, an oysterman, a shrimper, a ferryman, a funeral band, and others to document that these workers existed and in a bygone era were once ubiquitous across the region.

“When a person works with little audience and few accolades, a truer portrait of character is revealed,” explains Whyte in her introduction. As a genre painter with skills and intuition honed through years of practice and toil, she shares much in common with the dedication and character of her hardscrabble subjects. Her vibrant paintings are populated by men and women, young and old, black and white to document the range southerners whose everyday labors go unheralded while keeping the South in business. By rendering these workers amid scenes of their rough-hewn lives, Whyte shares stories of the grace, strength, and dignity exemplified in these images of fading southern ways of life and livelihood.  

T H E   E X H I B I T

Here is the exhibit schedule. I hope you will be able to check it out, I personally cannot wait! It will be here locally beginning today through September 9, 2012 at the Gibbe’s Museum of Art in Charleston, SC!

EXHIBIT SCHEDULE

May 4–September 9, 2012
Gibbes Museum of Art
Charleston, South Carolina
www.gibbesmuseum.org

October 5, 2012–February 24, 2013
Telfair Museum of Art
Savannah, Georgia
www.telfair.org

April 6–July 7, 2013
Penninsula Fine Arts Center
Newport News, Virginia
www.pfac-va.org

ART WALK tonight if you’re in Charleston, SC! Here’s a blip from Lowcountry.com, click for more info including a list of galleries!

Catch you back here tomorrow!