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Welcome! I’m Mary Gilkerson, an artist obsessed with capturing color & light in my paintings.
My fascination for the way that light moves through the natural world keeps me deeply connected to the spaces and places I move through on a daily basis.
…Learn more here.
See Through
an Artist’s Eyes!

Come along with me as I chase light, color, and clouds across the landscape.

In my latest adventure I’ve been deep in the SC Lowcountry, creating a new collection of paintings.

Join me on this journey and get sneak peeks (~ 3x/ week) and a special VIP preview of the new collections when they're released!


Paintings…

Summer Greens

We’re deep in the midst of summer greens here in the Lowcountry!

I haven’t been able to paint outside for a month, the longest I’ve gone without it for ages.

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Tybee Afternoon Light

| TYBEE AFTERNOON LIGHT | Oil on panel 5 x 7” $325.00 (unframed) + $10.00 shipping The south end of Tybee Island gives wide open views of the ocean in one direction, and a row of barrier islands in the other. I painted...
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The Scent of the Lowcountry

The Scent of the Lowcountry6 x 6"Oil on panel I've always relaxed and let me breath out a notch when I get back to the Lowcountry and can smell that rich earthy aroma of the mud.Everybody in my very large and extended family on the island...
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Marsh, Late Afternoon

Marsh, Late Afternoon 8 x 10" Oil on panel  From The Lowcountry Collection by Mary Bentz Gilkerson, inspired by sights and scents of the South Carolina/Georgia Lowcountry, a magical rich area full of captivating odors - salty air, hot sun...
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The Lowcountry: Marsh, Late Afternoon

I got stopped dead in my tracks by a question not long ago.

“What’s the low country?”

For anyone raised below the Fall Line in South Carolina, the question is unimaginable.

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About Painting…

3 Liberating Truths that Kill the Myth of the Starving Artist

Paulo Coelho: “If you want to be successful, you must respect one rule: NEVER LIE TO YOURSELF.” So…what’s a liberating truth? It’s the opposite of a limiting belief. If a limiting belief holds you back, a liberating truth sets you free. That liberating truth...
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Creativity Hack #7: Follow Your Curiosity

A strong driving force can be a great motivator to creativity. But some of them I hear talked about are not going to work as well as others. Market vs…

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Creativity Hack #6: Share Your Gifts

I’ve heard all sorts of “reasons” from artists about why they don’t share their work. Fear of failure. Fear of looking ridiculous. Fear that their work isn’t good enough. That they’re too young. Or too old. I’m going to give you some tough love. And this goes for...
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Creativity Hack #5: The Power of Doing Nothing

Daydream. Unplug. Get away. Be bored.

Doing absolutely nothing is a huge reset button for creativity.

Easier said than done though.

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Creativity Hack #4: Look For The Extraordinary In The Ordinary

Look for the extraordinary in the ordinary. Don’t wait to find the perfect subject. There’s no such thing as the “perfect” subject. Just paint. ; Get started with the world right in front of you. Cultivate deep seeing and close observation. Look for the beauty in...
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