Mary Segars
I was naturally drawn to sketching, even as a young girl. While growing up in Blacksburg, Va, I often doodled around with pencil and sketchpad. At the College of William & Mary, I chose to major in biology, as I have an intense interest in nature and the mechanics of life. After working six years as a research technician at the Univ. of Ga. Veterinary School, I married a veterinarian and moved to Hartsville, SC, where we lived for 13 years. Three children—boys—later, we moved to Beaufort, SC.
While in high school in the early 1970s, I taught myself how to do pastel portraits and began accepting commissions at the age of 16. I completed an estimated 250 pastel portraits over the next 22 years. While living in Athens, Ga, I learned the technique of scratchboard, a medium that I love but rarely use today. In Hartsville, I added pen & ink and colored pencil to my interests.
Until 1999, art was nothing more than a hobby for me, complimenting my life of part-time jobs, children, gardening, swimming, running, and school volunteering. After moving to Beaufort, I decided to pursue art in earnest in 1999. Teaching myself from a library book, I began dabbling in oil painting—my first real fluid medium. This produced a virtual explosion in my life. Fairly overwhelmed by color theory at first, I began by using only primary colors, which still constitute my palette today.
I had my first show after painting for only 5 months; to date, I have had 8 personal shows and have participated in many group shows. Awards include People’s Choice (4), Best in Show (5), First Place (4), Second Place (2), Third Place (4), Excellence Awards (5), and Merit Awards (5). In May/June of 2015, I won Best in Show at Charleston's prestigious Piccolo Spoleto Outdoor Art Festival.
I also enjoy teaching painting and drawing techniques to both adults and children, and I have taught enrichment classes in painting, mosaics, paper mache, and marionette-making in the public schools. I teach regularly-scheduled classes in various communities in the Southeast and have participated in numerous juried festivals throughout the Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina.
My artwork can currently be seen at Atelier on Bay in Beaufort, SC where I have a working studio, at Maye River Gallery in Bluffton, SC, at LePrince Gallery in Charleston, and at City Art Gallery in Greenville, NC.