Beautiful views of common places

The daily, 30-minute drive between Columbia and Hopkins to saddle up her old horse Clyde opened Mary Gilkerson’s eyes to the beauty of Lower Richland.

Over the past five years, the painter’s interest in shiny trailer homes, tin barns and uniform power poles gave way to a focus on tilled fields, rolling clouds and distant trees. Gilkerson traveled the back roads, returning to some scenes again and again to paint during different seasons and times of day.

She was interested in capturing landscapes by pattern and texture, color and light.

The result is “Minervaville,” a collection of paintings and quick, singular prints known as monotypes to be shown Thursday through Saturday as part of Artista Vista. The exhibition at the ifART Gallery, 1223 Lincoln St., is one of dozens to be presented at seven galleries in the old warehouse district downtown.

The opening-night event, in its 24th year, provides an opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the community’s most respected artists.

Gilkerson – admired among peers for her work ethic and intuition about color – has developed a wide following in South Carolina and beyond, a base expanded by daily paintings she posts online with poetic captions. It’s an exercise that reflects her skills as both an educator and a promoter for her life’s work.

Libby Bussinah, who owns a farm near the Congaree Swamp where Gilkerson boards her horse, said her friend is a proud Southerner seeking to share the “sense of place” that connects us.

“She wants to show people that the common places are special places,” Bussinah said. “Just because you see it every day doesn’t mean it’s not spectacular.”

“She knows this area, you can tell by her painting,” added artist Laurie McIntosh. “She loves to be in the country.”

McIntosh described Gilkerson’s work as “abstracted landscapes” with a “magical luminescence.”

“She is fluent in the language of color,” McIntosh said.

When Gilkerson paints outdoors, McIntosh continued, “She does not take a whole tackle box full of paint; she knows how to mix them and she knows how to say what she wants to say.”

Lately, what Gilkerson has wanted to say is that Lower Richland has a vast beauty and history that deserves recognition. She would love for people to see her paintings and become intrigued, she said, to drive around and develop a connection to the countryside just beyond the Columbia city limits.

“If you pay enough attention to it, you will fall in love with it or develop that connection,” the artist said.

Edisto Island is the other place she has spent a lot of time painting.

Gilkerson, 56, grew up in Forest Acres, where one of her earliest memories was lying on the kitchen floor, coloring while her mother cooked. Frances Gilkerson, the mother of three, was an illustrator and author of not-yet-published children’s books. Her oldest child would follow her lead, being trained as an illustrator and graphic artist.

Gilkerson said her first “real” job, lasting for a decade after college, was making maps – another way of exploring her surroundings, as she noted.

Since 1990, she has taught at Columbia College. This semester’s course load includes painting, photography, the business of art and an exploration of community art, using the arts to engage people in social issues.

She has a 31-year-old daughter, Julia, in Savannah. She’s interested in historic preservation and offered the observation that Kensington Mansion, near Eastover, must be saved from further deterioration. She lauded Richland County for directing more money to tourist events in Lower Richland.

Gilkerson today lives in Columbia’s Hollywood-Rose Hill neighborhood. For 20 years, she has rented a second-story room at Blossom and Harden streets in Five Points for a studio.

Since 2012, though, much of her work as been done outdoors in the area around Cabin Creek Road.

Like a musician who practices each day, Gilkerson creates a daily postcard-sized painting using palette knives on wood panels. “It works as a discipline and a practice,” she said. “I’m definitely a lot better painter now.”

Phil Garrett, a Greenville painter and printmaker, said Gilkerson’s commitment to her painting-a-day project has honed her skills and sharpened her eye.

“In the last 10 years, especially, her work has just really gained tremendous focus,” Garrett said. “She’s totally at the height of her game – her skills – her artistry.”

Somehow, Gilkerson makes time each day to teach, paint and visit her horse. She’s also a lecturer and occasional art critic for the Free Times. Her schedule is remarkable, colleagues say.

She is devoted to her geriatric horse. He comes when she calls across the pasture, anticipating rides through the woods and fields or along roadsides.

Clyde has developed arthritis so the two of them don’t ride much anymore, Bussinah said.

Still, Gilkerson comes.

“She’s the only person I’ve ever seen, as a boarder, who is that dilligent,” Bussinah said. “Every day.”

The relationship is an important part of Gilkerson’s life that gets her out into the landscape of Lower Richland, Garrett said. Being there so often has allowed her to see beyond the surface, beyond a passing glance.

This story was originally published April 22, 2015 at 5:05 PM with the headline "Beautiful views of common places."