Mississippi Plein Air Painting

By Guest artist Benny Melton of Yazoo City, MS

Benny plein air painting.  © 2014|Benny Melton

Plein air painting in Mississippi is like recording a pictorial narrative. Successful paintings are like interesting conversations, they invite engagement.  Sometimes the more simple conversations tell the best story.

Angel of Repose

I recently graduated from college with an M.F.A in Painting (University of Mississippi 2014). It was an extraordinary experience for me as a non-traditional student and I relished every minute of it. 

About the time of my highly anticipated first summer break I was informed that I would be required to attend an Intercession Class on Plein Air Painting. Well, I thought, there goes the summer! Instead, I learned many practical things about becoming a professional artist.

University of Mississippi ©|Benny Melton

Each year my painting professor invites colleagues to come to Mississippi to help teach a Plein air Painting class. Yes, Mississippi... the lush and green rolling hills of North Central Mississippi. These professional artists have studied and taught at some of the best art schools in the U.S. and they wanted to come here to teach and paint and learn about Mississippi.

Cole's Bluff, Sardis, MS © |Benny Melton

We started each day looking at the work of contemporary and historical painters in slide presentations and then went to paint the local parks, farms, a large reservoir, town square and other locations. Every student had a similar paint palette and easel to use in the field. 

The instructors did demonstrations to get us all heading in the right direction. We would stop for lunch to gather and critique the mornings’ work. After lunch we returned to painting and painted until late afternoon. The next morning we would meet in the class room for another short critique and lecture and announce the next painting destination.

Spillway © |Benny Melton 

This continued for 5-days and then we selected work to display in a “fresh paint” show on the square in downtown Oxford. Paintings were actually still in the process of drying. Undergraduate students, graduate students and instructors displayed their work together and the stories were outstanding.

I graduated in the spring of 2014 and with the momentum of 3-summers worth of Mississippi Plein Air Intercessions my wife and I hit the road for a two-week residency program at Lakeside Labs in Okoboji, Iowa. 

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The plein air skills learned in Mississippi were put to use about 1000 miles away. Here are my works:

Iowa-Minnesota State Line

Lakeside Okoboji, Iowa 2014 

Iowa

Little Miller's Bay Oil on Panel 8x8

Prairie Stream

Twin Forks Prairie

Benny has a Master of Fine Arts in Painting from the University of Mississippi and a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Belhaven College in Jackson, MS. He was employed in Chemical Manufacturing for many years in Yazoo City, Mississippi and Sioux City, Iowa. His artwork can be seen in various venues in and around Oxford including Provisions Oxford and Oxford Treehouse Gallery and View Gallery and in Jackson, MS

Born in South Dakota and raised in Mississippi Benny enjoys the influence of both the Mississippi Delta, the plains of South Dakota and the farmlands of Iowa.

He lives in Yazoo City, MS and works for CF Industries, Inc. as the Training Coordinator for the Yazoo City Manufacturing facility.

Benny taught painting classes at Ole Miss in the fall of 2014 and drawing at Memphis College of Art in the spring of 2015. He taught Art for one year at Yazoo City High School before returning to chemical manufacturing in June of 2016.

He enjoys painting people in the landscape and his current work focuses on landscapes and the working people of Mississippi and the Midwest.

Website: www.meltonart.net

A big thanks to Benny Melton for his story!

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Follow this blog about Mississippi plein air artists. In the coming weeks, this site will be publishing contributed articles by painters from the state of Mississippi. 

 

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Lessons Learned From Painting Daily

By Guest Blogger artist Carol Roark

Carol painting on her farm north of Charleston, Mississippi 

 In the fall of 2017 with the encouragement of the CSA Award (Community Supported Arts) given by the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council, I challenged myself to paint a painting a day for 200 days.  Over the years, I have heard several instructors talk about this challenge and how it would strengthen you as an artist. I had even done a 30 day challenge here and there, but I had never pinned myself down to a commitment such as this.

 I signed a contract with myself.

What better way to commit yourself to a project, right?... and started to paint. I gave myself a few stipulations:

1. All of the work would be plein air or if conditions were just impossible, at least from life.
2. I would not spend more than an hour on each painting. I wanted these paintings to be studies. I wanted to concentrate on mass and value and not details. I wanted to experiment and challenge myself.     
3. Paintings would be small - no larger than 8” x 10” and most no bigger than 6”x 8”.

What did I learn? 

The first thing I tell everyone who asks me this question, is that I should have done this 25 years ago. The visual education and brush mileage that I gained feels unmeasurable to me. I felt like what I imagine actors feel like when they stay “in character” while working on a specific role. After about 3 weeks, it was like I was always “in character” as a painter. If I wasn’t painting with a brush, I was sketching. If I was sketching, I was painting in my head.

 

Carol happily painting in the happiest place on Earth” 

I tend to be somewhat shy, especially when I am painting, but I learned to break out of my shell and become comfortable painting anywhere (even Disney World!). I also developed a love for the southern landscape and the changing of the seasons like I never have before. Most importantly, I got better and I realized there is NO substitute for brush miles and this is coming from someone who has been painting for many years, just not as focused as this.

 

Carol painting at the Windsor Ruins, a bucket list check!

My project has now come to an end, but I am still on the roller coaster and I’m not sure I ever want to get off - a day or two away from the easel and I almost feel lost. I am now spending my time focusing on larger works and implementing what I learned over the past several months. I also never go more than week without painting plein air.

 

Carol with a few of her 200 paintings during the CSA reception at the Powerhouse in Oxford

So I challenge anyone reading this to try a daily painting project. Go at least 60 days, preferably more. It will rain, the wind will blow, the bugs will come out and it will be hotter and colder than you can imagine, but I can promise you will come away a better painter with an amazing experience.

 Carol Roark is a full time artist and teacher living on the bluff of the Mississippi Delta. She received her BFA from Mississippi State in 1992 and then continued to study painting with artist Sammy Britt after graduation.  She has also had the privilege of studying with Kim English, Jason Saunders and Marc Hanson (who was an influential  mentor through the 200 day project) 

You can view more of her work on her website at www.carolroark.com, on Facebook under Roark Studios and on Instagram @roarkstudios.

A big thanks to Carol Roark for her wonderful post!

Plein Air News From Oxford to Ocean Springs Mississippi... and Beyond

Plein Air Events in Mississipppi

When I first started this blog there had been plein air groups in Mississippi but not a single one was active at the time. Now there are several small groups, and one is especially active in Oxford. My daughter Susan Patton paints with them and our friend Linda Peters serves as the leader of the group. They are the North Mississippi Plein Air Painters. I am mostly a studio painter but do go out if the weather is cool to paint when I'm invited. So (disclaimer here) I'm not the only news source for plein air events in Mississippi, but I do play that role on this blog. If anyone in MS ever has a painting event that I don't know about, just send me your copy and some photos for the blog!  

Susan Patton of Bruce, MS

Here is a photo my daughter artist Susan Patton texted me from the Oxford square this spring telling me she sold her painting right off the easel to a client of hers, an Ole Miss alumni who was in town from North Carolina. Susan was already painting their daughter's portrait so that was a serendipitous moment for them both!  

Susan Patton painting on the square in Oxford, Mississippi. 

  

Susan is known for her lovely plein air work (see images below) but also has a love and interest in portraiture. I love her versatility and here are images of her judging a show in Tennessee and also doing a demo en plein air and teaching portraiture at one of her workshops. She has taught this year in MS, TN and soon will be teaching at an already sold out workshop in Panama City, FL!   You go girl!!

Susan assisting a student in one of her workshops here at my studio.

Susan Patton demo in a Tennessee Plein Air competition in spring of 2018 where she served as judge.

©2018 Susan Patton Art - portrait commission. 

Marc Hanson, OPAM of Pontotoc, MS

My friend Marc Hanson is all over the place. Look at his work on his website. It's inspiring! He lives in Pontotoc but not really because he travels so much. He's sweet and amazing. I'm so happy for him that he was named an Oil Painters of America Master painter this year! He's an "artist's artist" and I like to mention him to people just to make it sound like Pontotoc is a popular art destination, since he lives here.  Marc has been painting around Pontotoc (where he lives- did I mention that?) and other parts of Mississippi, but also travels. A lot. 

This year Marc has painted in Indiana, North and South Carolina coasts, Florida, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, Georgia, Indiana and other places. He was  teaching in most of those places, judging big National shows, etc., ..........and speaking of teaching- He is teaching here this fall at our workshop again! We already have people coming to Pontotoc from New York and even Mexico. When you have workshops in rural areas with master artists you bring the world to our small town! There are still a couple of openings left in his workshop here so contact us HERE if interested. 

Marc Hanson painting at Plein Air South in Port St Joe, 2018.

Marc Hanson paining in Mississippi.

Please note: Correct dates are September 24-29, 2018 for Marc's workshop in MS! 

My Own Plein Air 2018

I favor painting outside... but only in cool weather. So far this year I have been painting around here some and also in Gadsden, Alabama's Plein Air Invitational again, and also in Ocean Springs as described below. We had beautiful weather! 

Knew this was going to be a good one as soon as I glanced at the scene.

The finished painting. (Sold)

Early morning fog was lifting fast as the sun rose......

The above as a finished painting, Available.

As I said, I also went to Ocean Springs at the invitation of event host, my good friend artist Jerrod Partridge who hosted the La Côte en Plein Air - Ocean Springs, MS.  When Jerrod invited me to paint I came down to do it and also to swap out some paintings to the Pink Rooster Gallery there as well.  So I called my good friend Debbie High of Lumberton, MS to go with me. Boy did we have fun! 

My dear friend Phil Sandusky of New Orleans was also invited and I got to see him, and also had the opportunity to get to know some of the Mississippi Gulf Coast painters who were there as well. Like Curtis Jaunsen. Love his remarkable work and it was a treat to finally meet him and become friends.

Phil Sandusky and Dot Courson painting in Ocean Springs

The start of one of my paintings. I love little pink houses!! But I didn't finish it an wiped it off!

This actually was awarded "Artists Choice" believe it or not! ©2018 Dot Courson

Debbie High in her painting apron talking to one of the coastal artists.

Flyer for the event. It was exceptional!! 

Workshops for Plein Air Artists

As I mentioned above Marc Hanson is teaching September 24-28, 2018 and we have a couple spots left. I have had many people who have said they were sending checks but have not yet so first come, first serve. 

This spring we had Jason Saunders of Tennessee teaching en plein air painting. Here is he group out on a cool morning:  

Below is a plein air painting I did of  our neighbor, Mr. Kemp's barn. It is 11x14 and I'm giving it to he and his wife as a gift for letting us (along with about a hundred different artists) paint on all his property all these years!  

Kemp Barn 11x14 Oil. ©2018|Dot Courson

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