Mary whyte working south

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. Using clear and concise language and in-depth, step-by-step demonstrations, author and renowned artist Mary Whyte guides beginning and intermediate watercolorists through the entire painting process, from selecting materials to fundamental techniques to working with models.

Read the 5 star review. Artist Mary Whyte moved with her husband to a small South Carolina barrier island ten years ago, and quite by accident met a group of senior citizens who were making quilts in a small abandoned church. Longtime residents of Johns Island and descendants of slaves, this extraordinary group of African American women welcomed Whyte to their community and changed her life and paintings in astonishing and unexpected ways.

Chronicled in dialogue and images are the Gullah way of life and the evolution of an incredible friendship between the artist and Alfreda LaBoard, who became the subject of many of Whyte's paintings. Whyte uses the watercolor medium to produce rich dark tones and textures. Her combination of tightly controlled brush strokes and loose broad sweeps of washes, coupled with contrasts of light and dark, produce a level of intensity not usually associated with watercolor. Ferris, Center for the Study of the American South, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill "Something precious and disappearing that is honored by art has increased chances of being preserved—and honored anew.

Mary Whyte's magical and elegant paintings and sketches do battle with that great modern two-faced robber : technology. Through her art and sincere personality, she has worked her way into the hearts and minds of southerners, whether natives or recent arrivals. Like the many sitters in her paintings, Whyte is emblematic of a New South, except for the fact that her subjects represent industries that are shrinking, if not disappearing, while her reputation and horizons are ever expanding. 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. 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 subjects.

Traveling to Miami on a tip, she found one of the last funeral bands, a group of men who started playing in the s at the burials of soldiers. Finally, she called an African American funeral home in Dade County, and that led her to a band near Overton.

The hours translate to effortlessly captured, emotionally rich moments in time. She listened to stories about his grandfather, who started the business in and built a shack where African American women shucked oysters and crabs, throwing the discarded pieces out the window and into the water.

She shadowed him and witnessed his disappointment and anger while pulling up traps, including those that had been vandalized—not to mention the ones that had been poached. Pictured in his yellow waders and straw hat, Algie looks into the distance, his face weathered from years in the sun. Who would have thought a plain-old someone like me would be the subject of a painting?