2020-06-01_The_Artists_Magazine

58 Artists Magazine June 2020

GilkersonspentsummersonEdistoIsland,offthe

SouthCarolinacoast—alush,subtropicalworldofliveoak

andtupelotrees.“Therewasn’tmuchtodoontheisland

backthen,”shesays.“Wedidn’tevenhavea grocerystore,

justa smalllocalmarket.A lotofwhatweatecamefrom

goingeitherintothecreekstofishandshrimportolocal

farmsforvegetables.Someofthatlongingforthewide-

openskiesandthescentofthemarshesisstilla bigpart

of mypainting.”

FindingHerPlace

Theroadtobecominga full-timelandscapeartist,how-

ever,wasn’twithoutdetours.AfterreceivingherBFAat

the UniversityofSouthCarolina,Gilkersonworkedasan

illustratorfortheschool’sgeologydepartment.“Drawing

mapswasoneofthewaysI fellinlovewithplaceandthe

changesthatoccurovertime,”shesays.

Soon, though, she was off to New

York City to work on an MFA. “Like

most young artists,” says Gilkerson,

“I thought you had to move to New

York in order to ‘make it.’ The prob-

lem was that I had only enough

money either to live or to go to

school, but not both.” Making the best

of the situation, she skipped school

but stayed in the city to experience

the art scene for two years.

She then returned to the University

of South Carolina to work on her MFA.

While there, she studied with paint-

ers Jim Stephen and Philip Mullen,

two colorists with radically different

approaches. Stephen focused on

ABOVE

May, Distant Rain

oil on panel, 9x12

OPPOSITE

Minervaville,

Summer Sky

oil on panel, 5x7

“I HAVE A RULE FOR MYSELF THAT I CAN’T TAKE ANY MORE

PAINT TUBES THAN WILL FIT IN A CIGAR BOX.”

—MARY BENTZ GILKERSON