Celebrating Hilton Head Island's first resident artist, Walter Greer

Every artistic visual opportunity exists in a specific time, in a particular place and in a unique energy field. Important opportunities result when artists use their resources fully within the parameters imposed by these contexts -- and are expanded further when viewers share in that time, place and energy field.

Such an opportunity occurred recently, on a Friday night, at a special exhibit of a collection of paintings, created over time by Hilton Head Island artist Walter Greer.

There was an extra buzz as Greer arrived. Everyone had come early to the reception; most were already in place to greet him personally and to view a retrospective of his work, which was assembled by Jack Morris and Ben Whiteside of Morris and Whiteside Galleries.

"This is probably the most complete collection of his largest paintings," Morris said. "They are beautiful, and astonishingly large scale."

Greer, who is now 94, greeted most guests by name, as some had been friends and appreciators for close to 50 years.

"How wonderful this is," he said, as he stepped into the gallery.

Dressed handsomely in a navy blazer and yellow sweater layered over a blue shirt, Greer moved skillfully among the guests and the galleries that set off his paintings.

"It feels wonderful to be reunited with works I painted so long ago -- some back in 1960 ... hard to imagine," he said.

The exhibit, with close to 20 paintings, was an opportunity for collectors to see some of his earlier paintings.

"One of the most impressive results of pursuing our idea," Morris said, "was that we now have, right here, the most important collection of Walter's largest paintings. (It's) really quite phenomenal."

Years ago, Morris was director of the Greenville County Museum of Art when he met Greer.

"Walter and I met through a mutual friend," Morris said. "We became immediate friends and have been in touch on and off since that time." Morris wrote in the 1970 publication, "Contemporary Artists of South Carolina," that Greer's work seeks the expression of emotional truths, which are part of the landscape and people around Hilton Head. His work is inspired by the poetry of weathered landscape and becomes a series of hints and references to timeless forms in nature which are described by translucent films of pigment that appear to trap light and air in a luminous exaltation of South Carolina's Lowcountry.

As I moved through the galleries, taking in those timeless forms in nature, I was captivated by "Pond with Egrets" in oil and a giant 50-by-72 inches. Then there was the gorgeously lush "Homage to NCW," also in oil at 48-by-96 inches. Then the extremely imaginative "Mirrored Pond," in oil at 40-by-48 inches.

Whiteside directed me to a painting of particular interest, "Gullah Net Caster," in oil and 34-by-42 inches. The brilliant piece offers Greer's juxtaposition of a figure against a striking Lowcountry setting.

THE EARLY YEARS

Who could imagine the change in his life that would occur when Walter Greer first met artist and teacher Ben Shute?

That was 1957, and it was during a business trip to Atlanta when Greer found that he had a few moments before his appointment. Always intrigued with art and artists from his earliest days, he decided to spend those spare moments at the High Museum of Art. While he was moving among the galleries, he came upon the work of Shute, and later had the opportunity to meet him.

"Of course, that was a long time ago," Greer said. "I was so impressed by him and his paintings. I said after a very short time in his company, 'Mr. Shute, I'm going to quit my job so that I can devote all of my efforts toward painting. Will you teach me to paint?' "

Shute realized that Greer displayed the potential, the interest and the drive to become an accomplished professional artist. From that time forward, he saw to Greer's artistic education through a variety of approaches, even traveling with him on weekends to picturesque Lowcountry locations that would offer impressive landscape settings and painting opportunities.

Actually, it was one of their painting trips that brought Greer to Hilton Head for the very first time. On the day of his visit in 1959, he determined to purchase a home site in Sea Pines, and arranged with an architect to build a home for his family and an artist's studio.

Though enjoying the lush island setting and focusing on his painting, Greer soon understood that he missed the frequent contact with his artist friends. To remedy that, he called on them to visit him and Hilton Head, and even to exhibit their work at the then William Hilton Inn. In 1960, Greer, by now a dedicated artist, curator and entrepreneur, was fully committed to overseeing the promotion of art and artists on this remote island setting.

So popular and successful were those early visiting artists' presentations that he expanded his artist outreach and brought speakers and noted art historians for more formal gatherings. Many came from Atlanta, Charleston and Savannah. Following the establishment of the Red Piano Art Gallery in 1969, he became a founding member of the historic "Round Table" of artists that included Aldwyth, Joe Bowler, Coby Whitmore, Ralph Ballantine, Joe DeMers, Danielle DeMers, Tia Hayes, Elizabeth Grant, Marge Parker, George Plante and Ray Ellis.

HILTON HEAD ISLAND'S OWN

Greer was born in Ware Shoals in 1920, and though he had demonstrated an interest in the creative arts at a very early age, he was guided to a focus on business administration and graduated with a degree in business from The Citadel in 1942. After graduation, he went immediately into the military, where he served in the European theater as captain of an anti-aircraft gun battery in World War II. An early indicator that his artistic interest and talent remained fully in place, in spite of the circumstances, he began to create charcoal portraits of the men on duty with him.

It has been said that Greer must be recognized as Hilton Head's first permanent resident artist, first art gallery director and, as a founding member of the Art League of Hilton Head, he really became Hilton Head's first visual arts advocate.

Lowcountry artist, and one-time owner of the Red Piano Gallery, Louanne LaRoche commented that Greer's impact on the artistic direction of the greater Hilton Head area has played a compelling role in the progress and promotion of the visual arts right here on Hilton Head, specifically, and far into South Carolina, generally.

"What a difference Walter's involvement has made on the artistic expansion of the visual arts throughout Lowcountry," LaRoche said. "He was graciously seen to the development of so many of the elements contributing to the appreciation and support of our art community."

So, appropriately, in 1996, the exhibition space at the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina was named the Walter Greer Gallery, and in 1997, a major retrospective exhibition of Greer's work was held in the gallery. In 2006, another major exhibition of Greer's work celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina.

Artist, musician, teacher and writer Nancy K. Wellard focuses on portraying and promoting the cultural arts, first in Los Angeles and, for close to 30 years, in the Lowcountry.

This story was originally published January 22, 2015 at 5:40 PM with the headline "Celebrating Hilton Head Island's first resident artist, Walter Greer."