When I was a young girl, I saw the cover of a Good Housekeeping Magazine with the little girl painting. I have a very clear remembrance of it: waiting at the doctors office as a child, mulling through the magazines and then seeing the image of a ponytailed girl, like me, painting. I empathized so strongly with her that I couldn’t help but imagine myself as that girl— wearing the easel and the smock —and that’s when I realized I wanted to be an artist, that I wanted to be her and paint.
To this day, I still recall that moment and continue to be attached to that identity. My mother had the magazine at home, and through the years I’ve saved it . That is what I mean when I say that Coby Whitmore has impressed me long before I knew him— that even before we were introduced, his illustrations resonated with me.  When I had the opportunity to purchase the Red Piano Gallery on Hilton Head Island, SC, 1980-1995, I was gifted with meeting and getting to know him personally.    Along with exhibiting his work at the Gallery, Coby Whitmore’s studio was located at The Red Piano Art Gallery during his final years.

Coby Whitmore, and many other artists who were also associated with the famed Cooper Studios in New York City, lived or visited Hilton Head Island regularly at The Red Piano Gallery as part of the Artists of the Roundtable. These artists included Joe DeMers, Joe Bowler, Bernard D'Andrea, Ben Stahl, and Murray Tinkelman. They were my mentors as they were for many. What they taught me continues to inspire and influence my artwork as I hear their voices as I create at my own easel.

     This presentation is dedicated to Coby Whitmore in the hopes of not only sharing his stunning illustrations, but also creating an ever growing platform of information and insight into his life.  Here, I will share everything that I have gathered or found in the hopes that there will be a concise and ever expanding record of Coby Whitmore and his artwork. I encourage and would appreciate any contributions to this ever growing database of Maxwell Coburn Whitmore.