Worlds beyond My Window: The Life and Work of Gertrude McCarty Smith

By Thomas R. Brooks, Pat Pinson, Stephen Rosenberg and 2 more

Artist, columnist, and poet Gertrude McCarty Smith (1923–2007) of Collins, Mississippi, carried herself as a demure and proper southern lady, yet this was deceiving as she was a prolific, creative trailblazer who had collectors and dedicated readers from coast to coast, and even in Europe. She grew up during the Great Depression with only some vivid storytelling and pictures from the family Bible to inspire and kindle her artistic spirit. However, at the age of ten, her career launched when her grandmother coaxed her with a box of crayons to milk the family cow—her seventy-year love affair with the arts was born. Over the years, she would express her creativity in many forms, resulting in thousands of paintings, sculptures, songs, poems, and newspaper columns and along the way a variety of artful cakes, as she ran a celebrated twenty-five-year cake business. Her art appeared in all shapes, sizes, materials, and “eatability.”

For most of her early career, Gertrude dabbled with a variety of styles—with subjects mostly centered around life in rural Mississippi and her spiritual life. But in 1980 at the age of fifty-seven, she attended her first Mississippi Art Colony at Camp Jacob in Utica, Mississippi. Over the next fifteen years, she would make her pilgrimage twice a year to be inspired by celebrated guest instructors from around the nation and connect with fellow artists. The Colony was a major catalyst, exposing her to new styles, giving her encouragement and freedom to experiment. Gertrude said of the Colony, “I never knew anything about abstract art, but it fascinated me to no end. Abstract art to me is like a beautiful melody without words. In mixed media, I am in another world and often am surprised at the piece that evolves from the torn watercolor papers. The effect is a kaleidoscope of colors that makes the retinas dance.”

This book features more than 150 images; a dozen poems; insightful essays from New York art dealer Stephen Rosenberg, acclaimed southern cultural scholar and curator Pat Pinson, and artist, curator, and instructor Rick Wilemon; along with a foreword by Tommy King, president of William Carey University; and a chronicle of her life’s journey by her son-in-law, Thomas R. Brooks.

As Rosenberg has said, “Gertrude Smith is a remarkable and authentic American woman who teaches us that talent and creativity combined with a humanistic spirit is both a state of mind and a state of grace—at any age.”

Book proceeds will benefit the Gertrude McCarty Smith Foundation for the Arts to bring access and passion for literature, performance, and visual arts to children in underserved communities throughout Mississippi.

• Language: English
• Publisher: University Press of Mississippi
• Release date: Nov 5, 2021
• ISBN: 9781496837691

Thomas R. Brooks

Thomas R. Brooks is a leadership and human resources expert with nearly five decades of experience in the military and civilian arenas. He is Gertrude McCarty Smith’s son-in-law and was chosen by her family to write the personal essay about her life.

Book preview

WORLDS BEYOND MY WINDOW

Falling Waters mixed media on paper/cloth, 48 × 66 in., 2000

New Vistas

Old clichés are lined up against

A wall,

Shaking, Trembling—they know they have had their day.

Rattling around in my brain too long

Trying to dominate me and keep me in a rut

No more—I’ve caught a vision

And every thing is NOW!

Teaching me new conceptions

New aspects

New potentiations

New vistas

—And as I enter in—a light illuminates my way

Metamorphosis is taking place

I am changing

I am my own

Contemporary woman

Burning Sky, oil on canvas, 48 × 60 in., 2004

Urgent Green, watercolor on paper, 22 × 30 in., 1985

WORLDS BEYOND MY WINDOW

The Life and Work of GERTRUDE McCARTY SMITH

Edited by

Rich Burlingham

With contributions by

Thomas R. Brooks

Pat Pinson

Stephen Rosenberg

Rick Wilemon

Foreword by

Tommy King

University Press of Mississippi / Jackson

The University Press of Mississippi is the scholarly publishing agency of the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning: Alcorn State University, Delta State University, Jackson State University, Mississippi State University, Mississippi University for Women, Mississippi Valley State University, University of Mississippi, and University of Southern Mississippi.

www.upress.state.ms.us

The University Press of Mississippi is a member of the Association of University Presses.

All photos, artwork, graphics, text, and design images are copyrighted © by the Gertrude McCarty Smith Foundation for the Arts. The use of any image or written work from this book is prohibited unless prior written permission is obtained. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Any unlawful redistribution or reproduction of artwork or written work featured in this book without prior express written authorization of the copyright owner is strictly prohibited.

Art Photography by W. Scott Miles

91 West Shoshone Street

Ventura, CA 93001

www.TheScientificPhotographer.com

[e-mail]

Additional Photography by Rich Burlingham

Copyright © 2021 by the Gertrude McCarty Smith Foundation for the Arts

All rights reserved

Printed in Korea

First printing 2021

∞

Library of Congress Control Number available

Hardback ISBN 978-1-4968-3768-4

Epub single ISBN 978-1-4968-3769-1

Epub institutional ISBN 978-1-4968-3770-7

PDF single ISBN 978-1-4968-3771-4

PDF institutional ISBN 978-1-4968-3772-1

British Library Cataloging-in-Publication Data available

Gertrude McCarty Smith painting, 1981. Used by permission from the Museum of the Mississippi Delta

Hand in Hand, mixed media on canvas, 16 × 20 in., 1991

Gertrude’s greatest experiences in life were attending the Mississippi Artist Colony and being a member of the Mississippi Poetry Society. They were her treasures, her love, because she was among her people, other artists and writers, those learning their craft and those teaching technique and skills learned from experience. From that point Gertrude wanted to push it forward and help support other artists of all ages and types and abilities. The painting on the opposite page expresses her idea that we all should live hand in hand, helping each other. In her own words: If it were possible, I would like to put my artist arms around everyone for giving me a shove into the greatest experience I have ever known.

On behalf of Gertrude, the authors would like to dedicate this book to all artists, whether you are just starting to hone your craft or have had years of creation behind you, continue to help make the world a better place. The French poet Guillaume Apollinaire said it best: Without poets, without artists, men would soon weary of nature’s monotony. We hope you all go to worlds beyond your window.

Holiday 02, mixed media on canvas, 16 × 20 in., 2004

Holiday 01, mixed media on canvas, 16 × 20 in., 2004

Holiday 04, mixed media on canvas, 16 × 20 in., 2004

Holiday 03, mixed media on canvas, 16 × 20 in., 2004

CONTENTS

Foreword

—TOMMY KING

A Woman of Courage and Creativity

—PAT PINSON

Life through a Kaleidoscope

—THOMAS R. BROOKS

A Curator’s View

—RICK WILEMON

The Three Sides of Gertrude: The Collected Works of Gertrude McCarty Smith

An Artistic Critique

—STEPHEN ROSENBERG

Editor’s Note

Acknowledgments

Chronology

Achievements

Notes

List of Images

List of Poetry

Contributors

Index

FOREWORD

Blue Vase, watercolor on paper, 22 × 30 in., 1992

Butterfly, watercolor on paper, 15 × 22 in., 1991. Used by permission from Dr. Tommy King Collection.

The culture and heritage of Mississippi is perhaps best expressed through the many artists and writers who have called our state home. Literature and art reflect the land, the people, and the values that make up a society. The literary landscape of Mississippi is dotted with many distinguished names, and it should come as no surprise that the artistic landscape is equally flush with a long list of native sons and daughters. They have given us visions of the past, scenes from everyday life, and varied interpretations through their paintings and sculptures. Often a name surfaces that though somewhat recognizable is not associated with any grand collection or museum.

Gertrude McCarty Smith may have appeared ordinary in so many aspects of her life, yet extraordinary as a self-taught, prolific painter in twentieth-century Mississippi. Born in Collins, Mississippi, she grew up during the Great Depression years without access to creativity or books except the family Bible. Known to have painted more than two thousand works of art, she was also a poet who filled pages with her lyrical verse and philosophy of life. Creativity can be a hard taskmaster for some who, like Gertrude, seem driven to make art. Balancing duties of a homemaker and work life, Gertrude somehow made time to paint and write verse.

I met Gertrude late in her life when she exhibited at William Carey University’s Lucile Parker Gallery. Like many, I learned that this small-frame lady from rural Mississippi could project much emotion and energy onto her colorful, carefully constructed canvases. Our friendship continued for years after when we talked about her latest adventure and shared a prayerful moment. Gertrude gifted me two lovely paintings which I have cherished over the years.

March Wind 03, watercolor on paper, 22 x 30 in., 1994

Sunflower, oil on canvas, 24 × 20 in., 1993. Used by permission from Tommy King Collection.

And it is ironic that her work was also coveted by then collector Sarah Ellen Gillespie, who donated her lifelong collection of twentieth-century art by Mississippians to William Carey. The two works in our Gillespie collection—Autumn Wind and Forest Rhythm—exemplify Gertrude’s ability to create colorful worlds, almost fantasy-like, and transport the viewer into them.

Somehow, fame as a painter and poet eluded Gertrude McCarty Smith and yet art critics and art historians agree she was an accomplished artist who could stand toe to toe with others whose names are often associated with twentieth-century Mississippi art. I knew Gertrude to be a kind, soft-spoken woman whose positive influence on everyone around her was unmistakable. We are fortunate at Carey to have hosted her exhibit and to have known her as a friend to the university. Her impact on the art world deserves an honest look by anyone who wishes to understand the unique perspective of a self-taught artist and her lasting impact on Mississippi art. As president of the university, I am proud to share my thoughts about Gertrude McCarty Smith in hopes you will find her life, art, and poetry as worthy of consideration as I do.

—Tommy King

WORLDS BEYOND MY WINDOW

A Woman of Courage and Creativity

—PAT PINSON

Gertrude Smith sits comfortably in the history of women in the arts of Mississippi. Her daring evokes Eudora Welty’s famous statement, A sheltered life can be a daring life … for all serious daring starts from within. These words closed Eudora Welty’s biographical sketch, One Writer’s Beginnings, which she delivered at Harvard University in 1983. That insight bears true for Gertrude as well,