Artist Spotlight

Mary Carrithers has been GPS' AP Art teacher extraordinaire since 1984. Each time visitors enter the Frierson Theatre lobby for an art show, they try to buy the art right off the walls. There is no doubt that Mary Carrithers mentors young talent into sophisticated thinkers and artists. How did she develop this expert ability not only to teach technique but to develop artistic sensibilities in her students?

Mary grew up outside of New York City in Suffren, an area that functioned as an enclave for writers and artists who lived in the city and made her hometown their summer home. Her father was a vocal coach to such stars as Marlene Dietrich and Johnny Mathis and a friend of Mitch Miller and Frank Sinatra. He converted an old building into a theatre, and performers like Tyne Daley, Jimmy Dean and Alan Arkin performed there. Afterwards they would spend time at Mary's family home.

Her mother was an artist and a writer who loved to sing and who exposed Mary to beautifully illustrated children's books that left a lasting impression. Mary credits her mother with instilling in her a love for reading. It was through her mother that Mary spent a great deal of time with Hildegarde Lasell Watson (her mother's aunt), whose home was filled with a fabulous art collection and who sponsored writers and poets such as e.e. cummings and Marianne Moore. Here Mary spent time in front of works by Renoir and Monet as well as other Impressionists. French-American sculptor Gaston Lachaise was often in residence, creating some of his famous works.

It is not difficult to imagine how all of this affected a young girl. She was constantly surrounded by highly intelligent and creative people who were experiencing great success in their careers. Mary took her talents to Bennington College in Vermont but interrupted her college career for a year in order to study at the acclaimed Accademia delle Belle Arti, where Michelangelo's David is housed. Back at Bennington, Mary studied with Paul Feely, who also taught the famous American artist Helen Frankenthaler.

Mary received her master's degree and began her career as a teacher and professional artist. During the school year, she primarily focuses all her attention on her students, but when summer arrives, she works fiercely at her own paintings and sculptures. Her paintings are exhibited nationally and internationally, and many are held in private and public permanent collections in the United States, London and Italy. She has also published a children's book on the subject of conservation and been the recipient of numerous Governor's School Excellence in Teaching awards. McCallie School awarded her the Keo Kio Excellence in Teaching Award, and she has been listed numerous times in Who's Who.

Her painting style has generally been in the super-realist tradition. Inspired by the trompe l'oeil paintings that fooled her as a child in a museum, Mary continues to produce work that takes figurative art to a new level. Other influences in her work come from the Renaissance and Baroque artists. Like Botticelli's, her smooth brushstrokes are almost invisible.

When asked about some highlights of the past decades, Mary immediately cites the opportunities she has had to display her work. Her one woman show at UTC pushed her to create 22 pieces in 4 months. She had never worked in pastel before but, influenced by a Latour painting, decided to apply pastels in streaks in mostly large scale works. She worked quickly, out of necessity, and found there was no time to overwork her pieces. She simply had to trust her instincts and keep pushing herself into a whole new way of working!

Lately, Mary has begun to add bit of objects to her canvases. In that same way, she loves pushing her students into making new intellectual connections as they find their own approach to composition. It is one of the reasons she is so beloved as a teacher. She nurtures the uniqueness of each student and pushes each girl to find her own voice, through art, with spectacular results.

Advanced Placement art teacher Mary Carrithers shares her wealth of artistic experience one-on-one with each student.