“Eighteen years ago I picked up my first paint brush and have yet to set it down,” said local artist Mary Thibault when asked about how she became an artist.

This summer Thibault is excited to see her second Water Festival T-shirt and bumper sticker design come to life. In 2009, her design displayed Downtown Beaufort’s Riverfront at sunset overlooking the sandbar, a beloved summer location. This year, with the ideas from Commodore Dan Thompson and First Lady Bonnie, Mary wanted to incorporate everything there is to love about Water Festival. The design includes the raft races, the Marine Corp band, the air show, and many other events.  Thibault has also designed the 2013 Fishing Tournament T-shirt.

As a lifelong Beaufort resident, Thibault has been involved with the Water Festival for many years, painting the faces of hundreds of children and selling her work through her business, Thibault Gallery.

Letting her creativity flow through her to a canvas is her passion; however, Mary’s talent does not stop there.  Thibault’s work ranges from hand-painted tiles and wine glasses to portraits and wall murals. Both are evident in the hallways of Beaufort High School, where she handpainted portraits of past Nobel Peace Prize recipients such as Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa, and Mahatma Gandhi. Thibault’s love of bright colors and Lowcountry inspiration is a true reflection of herself as an artist, and as a person.

Thibault’s work can now be seen at Atelier on Bay, a new studio/gallery located upstairs in the old Lipsitz building on Bay Street. It houses 16 artists with 14 studios. The entrance is at 203 West St.  Also, you can stop by her booth at Water Festival, just look for the Thibault Gallery.  Online, her artwork can be viewed at www.Thibaultgallery.com or on Facebook at Thibault Gallery.

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