Mary Whyte Sold at Auction Prices

b. 1953 -

Born in Ohio in 1953, Mary Whyte grew up with all the rural Midwest has to offer. She graduated from Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, PA in 1976 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and teaching certification.Mary Whyte has earned national recognition as an artist although she works in both watercolors and oils, she is most recognized for her figurative watercolors. Whyte recreates the finest details of all skin tones, including the translucency and texture using very deliberate brush strokes while maintaining the fluidity that makes watercolor so appealing.Whyte's portraits are in more than two-hundred corporate, university, and private collections, and her paintings have been included in numerous exhibitions. Several museums have purchased her portraits for their permanent collections including the recent acquisition by the Greenville County Museum of Art, Greenville, SC who acquired the image "Steam Iron."An avid teacher and writer, Whyte has conducted painting workshops each year in different locations across the country for the past twenty years. Several of her articles have been featured in "American Artist" and "Watercolor" magazines. Whyte's instructional book, "Watercolor for the Serious Beginner" (Watson-Guptill, 1995), is now in its sixth printing.Whyte has turned some of her attention to illustrating children's books, having several projects published by Chronicle Books and Dial Books. 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.Mary Whyte, moved to an island on the South Carolina coast and developed close friendships within the African-American community. Soon after her arrival and quite by accident, she met Alfreda LaBoard, and her intrepid group of senior citizens who gather weekly to make quilts and socialize in a small rural church. Long-time residents of Johns Island and descendants of slaves, these women changed her life and her paintings in astonishing and unexpected ways. Mary Whyte has released a book sharing the story, "Alfreda's World" (Wyrick & Company, 2003), about the shared experiences and values that deepened the friendship between the two remarkable women. The story is told in the touching watercolors and drawings that the artist created over a ten-year period.Mary Whyte currently lives with her husband near Charleston, South Carolina.Works are primarily in watercolor on acid-free paper, which ensures the color will never fade, and oil on canvas or board.