Sherry Strickland Martin, professional artist and art educator, is inspired by the Lowcountry of South Carolina, so much so that she rarely paints anything outside of it. Her medium of watercolor presents her with ever-changing technical challenges, but also inspires her with its luminosity and reflective qualities. Martin also works in mixed media, which allows her to let loose and experiment. Martin is an Horry County native, and in addition to specializing in traditional watercolor and mixed media, is a visual arts teacher at St. James High School in Murrells Inlet. She grew up in the upstate and attended Limestone College, living and working in Hilton Head before feeling herself called to teaching in Bluffton.

She relocated to Myrtle Beach after a bout with breast cancer to be closer to family. She tragically lost her home and most of her art in an April 2009 wildfire. She started exhibiting her paintings again in 2014 and received the “Signature Member in Excellence” award from the South Carolina Watermedia Society that year. She continues to teach, paint professionally and regularly share her work with students as a teaching aid and inspiration. Roots Run Deep, an exhibition of both traditional watercolors and mixed media works, will be on display at the Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum from October 4 to December 16 with an opening reception from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on October 11. The works in the exhibit speak to Martin’s return to painting what nurtures her soul: South Carolina’s beautiful coast.