Buxton Books is proud to welcome artist Mary Walker to the bookstore for an evening celebrating her new book, Scenes from Alice in Wonderland! This is a free, in-store event. Please email rsvp@buxtonbooks.com to reserve your spot.
Buxton Books is thrilled to host an evening with artist Mary Walker celebrating her new book, Scenes from Alice in Wonderland! Mary, a local printmaker and artist, has created a phenomenal collection of woodblock prints of scenes inspired by Lewis Carroll’s classic. The artist will speak on the inspiration behind the book and her process to create the artwork. Only 150 copies of the book were printed, and all are signed and numbered. A portion of these books will come with a numbered alphabet print (only 26 available).
We can’t wait to celebrate the artistry behind this new book with Mary! This is a free, in-store event. Please email rsvp@buxtonbooks.com to reserve your spot.
Artist Statement:
Children often have magical moments of discovery and wonder which usually fade with time and distraction, but a few may linger to become an inspiration later in life. When I was five, we were living on Long Island renting from wealthy friends. Our section of the house was the old servants quarters connected to the main house through a door at the bottom of the stairs. One day my mother led me through that door. On the other side was a beautiful dining room with a gleaming mahogany table and standing next to the table was Alice in Wonderland… actually a neighbor girl dressed up for Halloween. But to a five year old, she was a vision that stepped right out of my story book. That was a moment I have never forgotten. It has tumbled around in my mind for years looking for a creative outlet through my work as an artist. However, I was always stalled by my preconceived notion of what she looked like, what the rabbit looked like, what colors were involved. When I finally decided to push past the boundaries of my own preconceived notions (and use only black and white), I was able to begin. These prints are the result.
About the Artist:
Mary Walker has been a painter and printmaker for many years. She taught high school math which she enjoyed, then decided to turn to art full time. Walker was born in New York and grew up in North Carolina. She started painting in 1975, while living in New York and studied at the Art Students' League with Isaac Soyer. After moving to Charleston, she continued to study painting and printmaking for several years at the College of Charleston. She often travels to Italy to work and vacation.
2015 brought a solo show and a printing residency in Limerick, Ireland. In 2014 Walker created "The Suitcase" a traveling show of various artists all inside an old red suitcase. 2009 provided two solo shows for Walker, one in Charleston and a summer exhibition at the Arts Council of York County. She accepted a Margo-Gelb Dune Shack residency in Massachusetts in 2007 and was the 2006 winner of the Griffith Lowcountry Artist's Award. The award resulted in a solo show at City Gallery Waterfront in Charleston which then led to her being chosen as the poster artist for the Piccolo Spoleto program “Opera is for Everyone.” She has received several grants from the South Carolina Arts Commission and the Lowcountry Quarterly Arts Grant Program. In 2004 she organized “The Scrolls,” an anti-war project involving both national and international artists that has been exhibited in Charleston, Cincinnati and Washington, DC. As a narrative painter and printmaker, her main interest is with the figure or that of birds, horses and cats.
Mary Walker’s works might be described as whimsy based in realism, objective subjects with imaginative twists. Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky often come to mind when viewing her creations. Matthew S. Carlos speaks of Walker’s work as blending abstraction formal structure with exploration of the imagination resulting in an original style with strong subconscious familiarity that engages both the intellect and the psyche.
Walker’s images are narrative, but not realistic, figurative, but not photographic. She is interested in trying to tell a story, or translate a theme, story or poem into paint or collage. She is drawn to the age-old stories - Greek myths, opera stories, and Shakespeare.
Her work was selected for the Medical University of South Carolina's contemporary collection for the 2008 Ashley River Tower. She was the featured artist in the March 2009 issue of Charleston Magazine.