We recently connected with Mary Edna Fraser and have shared our conversation below.

Mary Edna, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

I began working as a full time artist in 1979. My first NYC show was 1982. A 10-5 schedule and over 100 one woman exhibitions presently worldwide came with perseverance and struggle. Studying with masters in my field, every work of art had an experiment which moved my knowledge forward. The aerial point of view given by my family’s 1946 Ercoupe aircraft offered a unique base for the silks, oils and monotypes. A good accountant and employees skilled in areas I loathed helped run the business. Teaming with Dr. Orrin H. Pilkey, a Duke University professor, to collaborate illustrating two books broadened my life as an environmental activist. Making art is all absorbing and the world’s problems take a back seat. My studio is a sanctuary. Everything is mobile in it so it changes often from work space to gallery. Museums and site specific commissions are the milestones of my creative life. The process was halted at times with births, deaths, hurricanes and divorce but each event moved the art forward in ways I could not have imagined. Good art takes time and solitude. Going out into nature is the most valuable experience for the soul which is later reflected in the creations. From day one I knew that my career would be difficult but rewarding. Managing the online presence, photographing and keeping up with over 1,500 work’s provenance is a huge effort and presently I have 3 folks who help me achieve my goals.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

In the 1975 I studied with Sister Mary Remy Revor and she told me I had a natural talent for batik. Nuns don’t lie so I began painting on silk with wax and dyes. Specializing in the aerial perspective, large-scale art and architectural installations my studio also carries charmeuse scarves, chiffon pareo wraps, and magnets. Prints on watercolor paper and metallic canvas are available in any scale. Plein air oils range fro 4×6 inches to 9×7 feet. Monotypes on paper are dreamscapes. All have the environment in common conveying perspectives the human eye, maps and cameras cannot fully reveal. The complex ancient art of batik is my journey across local and global locations calling attention to barrier islands and climate change. The artworks range from outer space to ocean floors reminding us of our place in this fragile world. Glaciers, icebergs, coastlines, atmospheres, mountains and rivers guide my imagination. Adventures on land, sea and air inspire content. Color creates mood and intrigue. Impressions from my visual memory abstract and simplify design. Organic line work and vibrant complex colorways drive process of expressing an emotional sense of place. .Japanese Edo artists and the Impressionists shape my aesthetic. The Smithsonian Air and Space Museum featured a 74 piece exhibit in 1994-95 with their first textile show and first solo exhibition by a woman. NASA honored me as artist of the year in 1996, So many have opened doors to bring my art to the public. I appreciate every university and gallery that featured my work…. the National Science Foundation, the National Academy of Sciences, National Geographic, United States Geological Survey. You are invited to visit me online or in person by appointment..

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

September 22, 1989 Hurricane Hugo a category 5 blew through Charleston, SC leaving my studio as rubble. The Gibbes Museum of Art had a one woman show scheduled and my sculpture at Charleston International Airport had been damaged and recommissioned. My husband was overwhelmed and left me with 2 little daughters to rebuild my life. A garage plan became the new 25×35′ studio in my back yard and a Small Business Administration loan. Designed to redo the 27′ silk panels, skylights, sliding glass doors, a dye room aka bathroom, and upstairs office was built with me as contractor. The electrical guys were having a fight with the sheetrock guys and I had to have them finish their endeavors on different days. The creekside studio is nestled in cascading azaleas and camellias and folks come from all over to visit. We have openings here to delete apathy for environmental causes and attract 500 visitors with a band and food trucks. I have 3 incredible employees who work with me as needed…a studio director, digital archivist and environmental media consultant. My daughter, Reba Fraser, has followed in my footsteps and co-teaches with me at major craft schools. yearly. Cecelia Dailey’s book with the University of South Carolina Press, The Batik Art of Mary Edna Fraser insures others will learn this craft.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My art is driven by environmental concerns locale and global. I have a website Delete Apathy which seeks to change the political climate of environmental and social policy through creative projects. We hope to form a pattern for activism in your backyard. Creek by Creek with artist Jeff Kopish presented in concert with three indispensable area groups: Charleston Waterkeeper, the Coastal Conservation League, and the South Carolina Environmental Law Project was featured at the City Gallery. in 2021. How we protect what we hold dear… passing the baton to win new battles encourages action. Creating art for two books: Global Climate Change: A Primer, Duke University Press and
A Celebration of the World’s Barrier Island, Columbia University Press with an internationally recognized Duke University Professor Emeritus Orrin H. Pilkey has broadened my horizons. Pilkey is one of the rare academics who engages in public advocacy about science-related issues. As a frequent and outspoken interviewee in the mainstream media he takes on climate change deniers in an outstanding and much-needed primer on the science of global change and its effects. He is my Boss and we lecture and exhibit to thoughtfully blend science and art.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.maryedna.com
• Instagram: maryednastudio
• Facebook: Mary Edna Fraser Studio
• Youtube: Mary Edna Fraser

Image Credits
Rick Rhodes Photography