Mary Whyte is an extraordinary South Carolina water color artist, teacher and writer. Her ethereal figurative work primarily profiles Gullah persons of Johns Island, SC and southern laborers.  Mary has an exceptional ability to see into the souls of her subjects – captured by the intimate qualities of their connections to their history and work. I particularly admire her sense of attention to the beautiful subjects many would easily overlook; and her talent to see within the deepest essence of her uncommonly common subjects.  What inspires her work is the unspoken – unnoticed – beautifully woven threads of history, persons and trades of the south. She is an accomplished and recognized teacher and author as well as an exceptional painter.

Mary Whyte will be making several appearances this month at the Greenville County Museum of Art in Greenville SC  in connection with the exhibition Working South. The culmination of nearly four years of work, Working South depicts people in jobs that are fading away. There are 30 examples in the exhibition, from Upstate textile workers to a shoe shiner in New Orleans, from industrial cleaners in Bishopville SC to a wooden boat maker along the Gulf Coast. The exhibition will be on view through September 18, 2011.

To learn more about Mary Whyte’s work visit: http://www.colemanfineart.com/default.asp; http://greenvillemuseum.org/