Today we’d like to introduce you to Edith McBee Hardaway.
Hi Edith McBee, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Leap of Color
I come from an artist’s family. Both my parents painted, and they passed that passion on to me and my five siblings. Our home was alive with creativity, and they encouraged us to be fearless when it came to art. That freedom — to take risks, to make a mess, to explore — shaped the artist I became.
Over the years, I’ve found joy not only in painting but also in sharing art with others. I love leading workshops where the goal isn’t perfection, but play — the workshop where we throw paint around and see what happens. There’s a wonderful freedom in that messiness, and I try to gives others the same spark of creativity my parents gave me.
In my own work, I move between landscapes, abstracts, and historical pieces. While I love the spontaneity of color and texture, I’m equally drawn to telling stories through art. Some of my most meaningful paintings are those that honor Greenville’s textile past — weaving together old images of mill workers, the looms, even faded paychecks, to capture the spirit of a time that shaped this community but is too often forgotten.
Now, as I look back, I see the thread that ties it all together: my parents’ encouragement, my own children and grandchildren exploring their creativity, the gallery that still thrives, and the stories told on canvas. I’m still learning, still experimenting, still finding joy in the messy, beautiful act of making art — one brushstroke, one leap at a time.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road of an artist is never smooth — and I don’t believe it’s meant to be. Challenge is part of the exploration, part of what shapes you. My greatest challenge has always been discipline: making the time to be in the studio, sketching constantly, and pushing myself to imagine what comes next.
Much of my work involves historical research into Greenville and the surrounding region. I’ve delved into the stories of the city’s beginnings, the founding fathers, and Greenville’s rich textile heritage. While the city is no longer the “Textile Capital of the World,” it remains a manufacturing hub, and I’m fascinated by the industries that helped define it.
I love transforming this research into collage-style paintings that weaves together this history. I using the pictorial archives of Furman, USC, Clemson, and the South Carolina State Visual Library to incorporate into the work. In recent years, I’ve also created commissioned historical collages for companies such as American Spinning, Dunean Mill, Safety Components, and Canal Insurance — blending logos, archival photographs, and visual symbols into paintings that tells their history.
For me, the merging of research and art is both a way of honoring the past and creating something new — history and expression.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My Artistic Voice
One of the things that defines me as an artist is my work of Greenville’s textile history and the industries that shape the Upstate. My process goes beyond painting — it begins with hours of research. Combing through the archives and handling old photographs and books.
As a visual artist, I need to see and touch these materials before I can use them into a collages that tells a story.
Though I love painting landscapes, flowers, and abstracts, it is the historical works that connect most deeply. In exploring Greenville’s past, I’ve also uncovered my own — my fourth great-grandfather, Vardry McBee, is known as the “Father of Greenville.” As I sought learn my story, I discovered a style that allows me to weave this history together.
For me, these works are more than images; they are visual stories that link me to the past while creating something new.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I’ve never thought of myself as a risk taker. But 18 years ago, with a group of fellow artists, I helped to opened a gallery in downtown Greenville. We were probably more naïve than bold—no one told us we couldn’t, so we just did it. Today, the Artists Guild Gallery of Greenville is the city’s oldest cooperative gallery.
We maintain 18 permanent artists, and a gift shop with 20 consignors, but over the years, 85 artists have begun their journey with us. Our Guest Artists program has showcased 150 area artists. A new artist evey First Friday.
As part of our mission statement was to give back—hosting fundraiser events to support the Humane Society, Salvation Army, Breast Cancer and the American Heart Ass. Homes of Hope, and hurricane relief.
What began as a leap of faith has become a home, a launchpad, and a community.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.edithmcbeehardaway.com
- Instagram: Edith M Hardaway
- Facebook: Edith McBee Hardaway
