Byas: Thinking pink once and again
The Cherry Blossom Festival launches its fall events Saturday with Tunes and Balloons Family Fun Fest, so it won’t be very long before pink petals are showing up on cars and storefronts all over Macon. If you’ve seen them -- and who hasn’t? -- you’ve seen the handy work of Peggy Whyte.
Affectionately known as the “Think Pink Lady,” this native of the nation now known as Zimbabwe left Rhodesia for Oklahoma in the early 1970s to attend college, where she studied art.
After graduation, Whyte visited schoolmates in Fort Valley and soon thereafter decided to make Macon her home. She arrived with only $400 and a car, and has never looked back.
Whyte’s work in Middle Georgia over the years has made her an artist in great demand. This year, she painted at the Forsythia Festival in Forsyth, the Dogwood Festival in Perry, the Watermelon Days Festival in Cordele, the Daylily Festival in Gray, and the Little League Baseball Southeast Regional Tournament in Warner Robins.
Soon, Whyte will paint during “Nutcracker” productions in Macon and Dublin, decorate the photo booth for the Cherry Blossom Festival’s upcoming Spirits in the Courtyard event, and work on every piece of glass on the fairgrounds for the Georgia National Fair. As she does every year, she will paint Christmas-themed poinsettia flowers and holly leaves beginning around Thanksgiving.
Whyte’s “Have Brush Will Travel” is already booked for the now-sanctioned Cherry Blossom Festival “Think Pink” car painting, which she co-founded; the event is usually held in late February and early March. She’ll paint with her daughter Kelly Lewis, who is the perfect apprentice to her mother -- especially since the younger artist has watched Whyte paint pink blossoms all of her life.
At her day job, Whyte creates custom, hand-painted signs, but her passion is working on murals. She also enjoys re-purposing old furniture and packing crates into more functional items. Her latest pet project is helping her daughter renovate an old house in Thomaston.
Though she’s a well-known part of regional festivals, Whyte does not limit her work to events. She’ll paint almost anything at any time, including the whimsical “3 Great Dogs” on this writer’s Jeep. Contact Whyte at 478-737-3059 and commission her to paint something special for you, too.
Along with Peggy Whyte, check out the Tunes and Balloons Family Fun Fest at Middle Georgia State University on Saturday. It’s a great way to kick off your Cherry Blossom Festival activities! Learn more at www.cherryblossom.com.
Contact Melanie Byas at melanie@retrowarehouse.com.
This story was originally published September 10, 2015 at 8:19 PM with the headline "Byas: Thinking pink once and again ."