Mary Whyte’s impressive series of watercolors honors armed service members after they return from battle.
It took seven years and trips to all 50 states for Mary Whyte to complete her newest watercolor series.
“The last project I did was called Working South, and it depicted blue-collar workers in vanishing industries. As that was coming to a close, I knew I wanted to follow it up with something even bigger and grander in scope,” Whyte says.
She knew she wanted to encompass every state— create a portrait of America that showcased the diversity of the country—but wasn’t sure how to go about choosing those Americans. “That’s when it came to me,” she says. “That, to me, what makes somebody the most American is someone who’s willing to lay down their life for their country. So it became a project about veterans.”
The result, titled We The People, features citizens of all ages, all heritages and from all five branches of the military, and is the subject of an exhibition opening in Charleston, South Carolina, in October.
Finding veteran subjects wasn’t as easy as Whyte had thought it might be. “I knew I wanted to paint everyone from astronauts to homeless veterans and everything in between,” she says. “I made a list of which states I was most likely to find a dairy farmer or a coal miner or a tattoo artist and started with that.”
But veterans make up less than 10 percent of the United States’ population. “There were a lot of phone calls and a lot of research,” Whyte admits. Local chapters of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and small-town chambers of commerce, who were proud of their local heroes, turned out to be invaluable resources.
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Esta historia es de la edición August 2019 de American Art Collector.
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FULL EXPOSURE
Photographer Conor Martin documents the present using photographic methods of the past.
Autumnal Light
The landscapes and nature scenes of painter Jennifer Sowders are irresistibly tactile, filled with varying textures that seem to leap off the canvas.
Art for All
Members of Art Dealers Association of America come together for a philanthropic affair.
Modern Marketplace
Redwood Art Group brings together the San Diego region for another class-act celebration of contemporary artwork.
An Enchanting Evening
Scottsdale Artists’ School knows how to throw an art party.
Timeless Tales
Soft, warm undertones underscore the mood of enchantment that runs through Nom Kinnear King’s paintings.
Next Exit New York
Coming off his series that focused on San Francisco and Los Angeles freeway signs, artist Eric Nash’s sights are now set on New York. Now on view at George Billis Gallery's Manhattan location are seven of Nash's new oil paintings and two drawings that explore the signage of New York City freeways. Although Nash's work is tightly rendered, he doesn’t consider himself a photorealist, but rather someone who utilizes those techniques to express ideas.
Monster Mash
Vampires, witches, ghouls and all things that go bump in the night are the theme of the exhibition Monster Mash, now at Abend Gallery.
Inside/Outside
Those familiar with Geoffrey Johnson's populated by inky figures and trailing shadows that bleed into the wet streets, and architectural elements obscured to varying degrees by the misty atmosphere.
Bold Figures; Bold Color
For Brooklyn based painter J Louis, it’s all about balance, which can mean many different things in a composition, but for Louis, it’s about balancing his female figures among a unique landscape of color.
