Down Bohicket Road: An Artist's Journey. Paintings and Sketches by Mary Whyte, With Excerpts from Alfreda's World.

by Mary Whyte, Angela D. Mack (Foreword)

Artist Mary Whyte’s Down Bohicket Road includes two decades worth of watercolors—depicting a select group of Gullah women of Johns Island, South Carolina, and their stories. In 1991, following Whyte’s recovery from a year of treatment for cancer, she and her husband moved to a small sea island near Charleston, seeking a new home where they could reinvent themselves far removed from the hectic pace of Philadelphia. In this remote corner of the South, Whyte first met Alfreda LaBoard and her devoted group of seniors who gathered weekly to make quilts, study the Bible, and socialize in a small rural church on Bohicket Road. Descendants of lowcountry slaves, these longtime residents of the island influenced Whyte’s life and art in astonishing and unexpected ways.
Whyte soon began a series of watercolors depicting these women, honoring their lives and their dedication to family and faith. As her friendships with these women grew, their matriarch Alfreda LaBoard claimed Whyte as her “vanilla sister.” Alfreda’s World, a collection of Whyte’s detailed watercolors and poignant recollections of the women at the senior center, was published a decade later, drawing attention and support from the community to the small church on Bohicket Road.
Down Bohicket Road continues the story of Whyte’s relationship with these extraordinary women, following the passing of Alfreda, against the backdrop of the ongoing commercial development of Johns Island. For Whyte, the heart of this community remains in the simple homes clustered along Bohicket Road, in the island’s winding tidal creeks, and in a small church where eighteen hardscrabble women gather in fellowship each week. In her book Whyte illustrates that both watercolors and friendships can be the unpredictable results of an abundance of blessings. As shared through touching words and vibrant paintings, Down Bohicket Road celebrates a unique way of coastal life and a remarkable friendship that transcends all barriers—even death itself—in praise of the unifying power of art.

Genres: Nonfiction, Art

152 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 15, 2012

About the author

Mary Whyte is an American watercolor artist, a traditionalist preferring a representational style, and the author of seven published books, who has earned awards for her large-scale watercolors.

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Without a doubt, Mary Whyte is my favorite living artist, a watercolorist who I think has few modern rivals. She lives and works not too far from where I spent some early formative years. I absolutely love her work, have been mesmerized by the detail she can achieve, especially with human faces. This is a good collection of some of her work from when she came to Charleston, almost all of the pieces in private collections, so this is about the only way you can see them. This is the first of these books I have perused, and I plan to check out the rest of them, maybe even find and buy them if I can. If you like art, and especially if you love watercolor, you must check out this book and go to see her work if you can. Kudos, as well, to the University of South Carolina Press.

[Tracy Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book literally blew me away. Not only is the author a master painter, but her work is both beautiful and emotionally charged, and interestingly evocative of small town life in rural South Carolina. Added to all that, the narrative the author wrote to accompany her paintings, which is the story of how she was befriended by a circle of African American women at a small church when she moved there, is beautiful and moving as well. The paintings she did of them are superb, and radiate her love and appreciation for them. I've rarely found art books with a spiritual component and message like this. I found it really uplifting and inspiring, in the best way possible. Mary Whyte's paintings alone would've made me savor this book, but the story she wrote to go with them, about the amazing friendships she formed on John's Island, added another layer of emotion and delight to reading "Down Bohicket Road". I can't recommend this book highly enough. I think it has a wonderful tale to tell everyone, whether you're an artist or not, about the power of love and friendship.

[Crystal's Bookish Life · Rating 5 out of 5]

The thing that is so miraculous about this book, and Mary's work in general, is that each page, each painting, sketch, and word is a testimony that there is great good in this world, and specifically the people in it. I loved seeing and reading about the progression of her series of the Gullah women. This book is going to be close by for whenever I'm feeling a little uncertain of my own direction of work, or just when I'm needing a little inspiration. An AMAZING read for anyone, not just artists.

[Sheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful combination of a written account of life with a community of African American women in the South combined with a gorgeous collection of watercolors painted by the author that document her experience. It’s an inspiring book to read and enjoy. A lovely tribute to some amazing women. Mary Whyte not only paints beautifully. She also writes very well.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding watercolor portraits of the people of Seabrook Island, S.C.

[Ankhowk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely story and gorgeous watercolors. A book to treasure.

[Margaret Elder · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of artist Mary Whyte's meeting the people who lived on and near Bohicket Road, learning to love them and paint them beautifully, is heartwarming. In the end, I felt that I knew Alfreda, Lily, etc. This is a tribute to the South and to understanding of a region and its people. Also, it is a collection of wonderful watercolor art. Thank you, Mary Whyte!

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book inspired me not only the beautiful paintings but the story was beautiful. As a writer often paintings will work my imagination. Mary Whyte's work does just this. How she comes to her subjects often remind me how I come to a new piece of writing. This is a book I will go back to often.

[Ginny · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must have for anyone who loves the south and loves fine art. Mary Whyte captures the heart ans soul of the people of Bohicket road. Love, love!

[Flora · Rating 5 out of 5]

After I read this, I thought how wonderful that she is able to capture in her work the humanity and love she shares with her subjects.

[Cathy Hasty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most beautiful book and the story of how it came to be is part of how lovely it is.