One South Mississippi Artist's Journey

By guest artist Karen Bennett of Kokomo, MS

Karen- Honorable Mention, SMAA WCU Show, 2018

My Journey with art started about 13 years ago when I walked into an Artist’s studio and ‘Felt’ the flowing water and gentle breeze from the canvas on her easel. Art is not only in the ‘Eye of the Beholder’ but also the ‘Emotion of the Soul’—Karen Bennett.

“ I have to do this!” was my thought. From that day forward I have sat under many teachers from across the nation to learn and grow as an artist. 

Light in Darkness, 2017 SMAA, WCU Show

The expression of the soul on canvas is such an emotional and beautiful thing. To call myself an ‘Artist’ is quite a humbling title; for my visual art journey began later in life. The more I learn, the more I learn what I do not know. But the journey is worth it!

Plein Air Photo, courtesy of Cooper French

After years of studio painting, I attended a workshop and learned about Plein Air painting. That was such an awe inspiring moment. To me plein air painting was like standing next to the Great Artist in His house (landscape); soaking in the beauty all around. To attempt to paint on canvas what I see around me is such an awesome privilege. I feel His presence all around. Plein Air painting on vacations is a great way to document my adventures and the beauty of our nation.

Summer Sunset in Cedars Show, 2017

In January, 2017 I signed up for the Strada Easel 31 day ‘Painting from Life’ challenge to paint something (still life, figure or plein air, if weather permitted) from life, every day for 31 days. At the end of the month, everyone that participated everyday would have their name in a drawing for a Strada easel. I really wanted a strada easel and knew that painting everyday would be a great opportunity for growth, so I signed up. I made a commitment to myself to paint plein air everyday, no matter the weather. I figured a few cold days, but nothing bad; this is South Mississippi, we wear t’shirts at Christmas.

I was in for some extreme challenges. 

2017 Plein Air Strada Art Challenge

We had some of the coldest days, stormy days with tornadoes in our neighboring city, Icy days, windy days, rainy days and a few sunny days. What a challenge I signed up for, willingly. This turned out to be a great challenge with great rewards. Yes, rewards, plural. 
The perseverance to get outdoors everyday, no matter the weather and find a subject to paint took planning and organization. I ‘had’ to plan and prepare meals, watch the weather forecast, organize and schedule appointments and activity to allow ‘paint time’.

At first, my husband said ‘you’re crazy painting in this kind of weather’, then he started helping me find locations around the farm and community to paint and helping me watch the weather forecasts and then by the end of the month he stood at the door watching me paint the hay in the pasture and told me when I came inside “I’m proud of you and your dedication to this challenge and I want you to order that easel, you deserve it with all the hard work you’ve done to see it through.” 

Karen with husband Danny

Hearing him say how proud he was of me for following through no matter what, was a Bonus I had not expected, regardless of getting a new easel! I didn’t win the easel, but did order it a few months later, with his insistence. 

Plein Air Art in Oddfellows Gallery Hattiesburg Photo credits to Oddfellows.

But the reward was more than the easel. It was time with the Creator, painting his creation, family & friends cheering me on, surprising myself when I made it through everyday no matter the weather; it was Growth in all aspects. Some of the paintings turned out ok, some were not so good and some were pretty nice. One of the January paintings,  “Light in the Darkness” was juried into the 2017 South MS Art Assn. William Carey University show in Hattiesburg, MS. and another one “The Hay Patch” won 2nd place at the South MS Art Assn. Christmas show, 2017. And I also sold a few. 

2nd place 2017 SMAA Christmas Show

Thanks for allowing me to share part of my journey and my hope is that it has encouraged you to persevere and find that inspiration in your soul. I’m still growing & learning while presently considering the next monthly challenge. Stay tuned…..

2018 New Art Studio 

Bio….

Karen is married to her wonderful husband, Danny. They operate their third generation family Dairy Farm in South Mississippi, where she gets most of her inspiration for her paintings. She also enjoys traveling with Danny across the nation while plein air painting their adventures. She has studied under many renowned artists from across the nation. Galleries representing Karen’s art are: Oddfellows Gallery in Hattiesburg, MS, Artwistic Revolution Art Gallery in Columbia, MS and Gulf South Art Gallery in McComb, MS. She is also a member of local and national Art associations.

Karen invites you to follow her Art Journey on Facebook at Karen Bennett Art, Instagram at Karen Bennett Art and her Website at www.karenbennettart.com

A big thanks to Karen Bennett for her 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. 

 

Email Dot Courson at artist@dotcourson.com to find out how to contribute to this blog.

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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. 

Add caption

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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The Gut Punch of Beauty- by Jerrod Partridge

By guest blogger, artist Jerrod Partridge of Ocean Springs, MS

Jerrod Partridge on a balcony in Florence. All images ©|Jerrod Partridge

Recently, I was sketching on one of the overlooks at the medieval Italian town of San Gimignano.  As I was translating the vastness of the scene with pen and ink I began to notice a universal language coming from the diverse group of passers by.
People walked the incline of cobble street that’s only about eight feet wide, with arches overhead and architecture on either side exposing hundreds of years of history, and came to a sudden opening in the buildings which exposes one of the most stunning vistas Tuscany has to offer.  It is a stunning patchwork quilt of the iconic elements of the area; vineyards, olive groves, Italian Cypress, and ancient buildings with terracotta rooftops.  The response to this view was usually not “wow” or “ooh” or “aah”, but a noise that started with an “m” sound and ended with a short burst of air through the nose.  It’s the same noise made when you’re hit in the stomach.  So I’m calling this universal language the gut punch of beauty. 

Image ©2018|Jerrod Partridge

My wife, Jessie and I have had the pleasure of leading people on trips to Tuscany for the past six years.  The primary focus of these trips is to have a meaningful and memorable experience with the people, places, environment, and cuisine of Tuscany and to do that through the art making processes of drawing and painting.  We call these Visual Explorations.

Walnut ink drawing of San Gimignano view. Image ©2018|Jerrod Partridge

While not everyone on our trips consider themselves “artists”, we encourage them to use a pencil, pen or paint to really see their surroundings.  When you sit in a spot for 30 minutes to 2 hours recording your observations you have a far deeper experience with the place than quickly walking by and snapping a few photos.  (side note - Serious photographers incorporate the same slow, thoughtful and measured response to a scene as a person drawing or painting. )  But whether or not you get a “good” drawing from the experience is not the main point.  It does feel good to achieve that, but the main point is the experience.  

Fattoria and tower at Spannocchia Oil 9x12. Image ©2018|Jerrod Partridge

So it was on our most recent Visual Explorations trips where I observed this universal language in San Gimignano.  I have specific memories when I’ve had a gut punch response to things.  The Sistine Chapel at The Vatican is one, and John Singer Sargent’s portrait of Lady Agnew in Scotland is another.  I remember these vividly because the gut punch of beauty leaves a scar.

Walnut ink drawing of San Gimignano Gate 5x7  ©2018|Jerrod Partridge

As artists we can only hope to one day create something which causes this reaction from someone.   But in the meantime we show off the scars left from these experiences by doing a drawing, organizing a painting, writing a story, or composing music.  We keep swinging and one day we may just land a solid hit.

About Jerrod

Jerrod is a full-time studio artist in Ocean Springs, MS.  He currently has a solo exhibition at Southside Gallery in Oxford, MS which will be on view through September 8.  

You can see photos from all of his past Visual Explorations trips on his recently redesigned website http://www.jerrodpartridge.com/visual-exploration.  And if you're interested in experiencing Tuscany in a medieval castle on a working organic farm with lessons in drawing, painting, and traditional cooking, their 2019 trip is scheduled for July 19-26.  Contact him at painterjerrod@gmail.com for more info.   

A big thanks to Jerrod Partridge for his story!

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

Contact Dot Courson at artist@dotcourson.com to find out how to contribute. 

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A Tribe of Painters by Wyatt Waters

By guest artist Wyatt Waters, Clinton MS 

It’s always been paint. Since I was two and a half. It was an old house. Mother gave me a brush and let me help her spatter the floor of our kitchen to help create a linoleum like pattern and cover up the hole repairs. I remember the sensation of paint. 

Table for Two or Tree ©2018 Wyatt Waters

I think it’s an impulse to see ourselves. Cave men in ancient France decorated their walls with painted bison and airbrushed paint through a reed using their hand to create a stencil. I remember tracing my hand on paper as a kid. I suppose that cave painting was the first hand turkey. It was more than just decoration though. The bison was god. They lived according to their hunt for bison. It provided food and tools and clothing and stories of the hunt around a fire. It gave them reason to form together as a society. The outline of their hands was their signature. It told them who they were. It provided evidence that they had been there.

Bambi, ©2018 Wyatt Waters

I think at the core of painting there is much much more than the representation of what we see. There is how we see and the more mysterious how we feel. At its best, painting combines them all. 

Water Pole ©2018 Wyatt Waters

Crowds gathered to watch Wyatt Waters demo in May 2018 in Port St Joe, Fl . Wyatt served on the faculty of Plein Air South.

When I couldn’t say how I felt to myself, I could always paint. When I couldn’t fit in socially, I was able to gain acceptance with a brush. When I wiggled more than I should have, I was given a stubby pencil and a church bulletin and was able to be still. When I was trying to work out an idea, I drew it first. When I was dreaming of how things should be, I planned on paper. I also lost most girlfriends over my decision to paint. I drove older cars because I made art and some people laughed. I lived in homes that other people would not. I was and still am often confused with someone who might not have a home. I have been told I was lazy. 

Gardening ©2018 Wyatt Waters

Once in a while, there are people who throw things from their cars as I paint. It can be so hot the paint evaporates as soon as it hits paper. There are days it’s so cold it freezes before my eyes. In the end, It all balances out and I’m left only with the paint. 
I am like those ancient cavemen who did the same thing. It’s my life I am painting. I follow the herd and go where it leads me.

Video: Static - written and performed by Wyatt Waters.

Widely known for his watercolors of Southern culture, Waters creates paintings of the roadside South. His works have been featured in Art & Antiques, American Artist, Watercolor, Plein Air Magazine, Mississippi Magazine and Delta Magazine. His paintings are held in private and corporate collections. Waters has had solo shows at the Mississippi Museum of Art, The Lauren Rogers Museum of Art, The Meridian Museum of Art and The Jackson Municipal Gallery. He owns and operates the Wyatt Waters Gallery in Clinton, MS.

Wtatt has published books of his paintings and collaborated with Robert St. John on “A Southern Palate,” “Southern Seasons,” “A Mississippi Palate“ and “An Italian Palate.” He and Robert St. John also produce and host the “Palate to Palette” series on MPB. He received the MS Institute of Arts & Letters Award for “An Oxford Sketchbook” and the MS Library Association Special Award for Art for his collaboration with Robert St. John, “A Southern Palate.” He has the recipient of the Mississippi Governor’s Award for his painting. He lives with his dog, James in Clinton, MS.

This fall Wyatt and Robert traverse the state of Mississippi in a one-of-a-kind deep dive into the food, art, music, and culture.

A big thanks to Wyatt Waters for his story!

Follow this blog about Mississippi artists. In the coming weeks, this site will be publishing works by several plein air painters from around Mississippi. 

Contact Dot Courson at artist@dotcourson.com to find out how to contribute. 

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The Creation of North Mississippi Plein Air Painters

By guest artist, Linda Peters of Oxford, MS 

As we approach the middle of summer, we have begun to plan the 4^th Annual Paint Out for the North Mississippi Plein Air Painters. Looking back over the last three years, I can truly say we have come a long way.

Four years ago, after attending Olmsted in Atlanta, my passion for painting outdoors was without a doubt going to be a part of my life that I wanted to share.  

Mississippi Sunset, 8x10, Oil on Panel, Private Collection ©2018|Linda Peters

Untitled, 8x8, Oil on Panel, Wolf River Swamp in Pass Christian, MS ©Linda Peters

After getting a few artist friends to commit, we started a group called North Mississippi Plein Air Painters with a plan to meet once a month, and have a three-day event each fall. Most didn’t know much about outdoor air painting and I had only experienced it a few times.

Pam Locke, Sony Strauss, and Katherine Adams

To kick off the start of this group, I offered my farm on a remote county road away from any hustle and bustle. The three-day paint out was very organized and I was well received with my “know how”. The first day got off to a good start with Mother Nature giving us a beautiful display of lovely fall colors.  The attendance was surprising with most not knowing what a “Paintout” is all about. At the end of the third day, most knew that this style of painting was truly adventurous.

Linda Peters with her pet donkey

That first year we came away with a few incidents and stories to tell: someone’s umbrella went for a float in the pond, (more than once), my donkeys were more curious than I imagined and got paint on their noses and then on us, and each person looked as though they had packed their entire studio without really knowing what they needed, but the fun we had learning from each other reinforced the idea that Mississippi needs this group to show what our state looks like through the eyes of outdoor artist’s.  

Susan Rose with Linda's pets

Many lessons were learned the last three years including numerous studies to take back to the studio.  The highlight of 2017 was how each artist had become inspired to study the outdoors, anticipating the elements, while creating lovely paintings. As I recall, the umbrella did get in the pond again and the donkeys are always happy to help.

Spring Serenity by Linda Peters, 6x16, Oil on Panel, Calhoun County, Private Collection

I was with Susan Patton painting on the side of a county road. The wind was blowing so hard, we both had to stand behind our vehicles!

 

So, as we plan for this year, the opportunities are limitless for this brave group as we share this with other artist across the state. Our goals are to mature as outdoor painters, travel around the state, and share our creations with others who have no idea what adventures they are missing.

L to R, Front: Vicki Ramsey, Carol Roark, Pam Locke, Janet Barnes, Linda Peters

Back: Debbie Myers, Tammy Cook, Pat Gillenwater, and Justin Treadaway.

Linda is a self-taught artist who has painted for as long as she can remember. Her favored medium is oil, which she uses to great effect in her bold, brightly toned canvases.

Born and raised in Mississippi, she currently resides in rural Oxford, Mississippi. She is the founder of North Mississippi Plein Air Painters and an active member of both the Oxford Artist’ Guild and Gallery and Oil Painters of America.  She most recently illustrated the children’s book, Farzana’s Journey: A story of the land, water, and people.

Although she has no formal art training, Linda pursues her art education by attending workshops, studying the “masters”, and constantly reading. She works hard under the direction of other well-known and fellow artist to reach her full potential as a landscape artist.

A big thanks to Linda Peters for her story!

Follow this blog about Mississippi artists. In the coming weeks, this site will be publishing works by several plein air painters from around Mississippi. 

Contact Dot Courson at artist@dotcourson.com to find out how to contribute. 

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Life as an Artist

 By guest Bloger, artist Beth Dean of Madison, MS

Beth plein air sketching in Istria 2018

Beginning:

Painting has always a huge part of my life since an early age.  I learned to paint en plein air when I was 8 years old from a well-known local artist, Myra Green of Jackson, MS.  (Of course, nobody in Mississippi CALLED it “en plein air” way back then…..we were just painting outside! )  Myra always had me paint outdoors from life, not photos.  Her wisdom in teaching was in not showing me how to paint a tree, but instructing me to really LOOK at the tree and paint what I saw. What a gift to me as a young child to learn to paint this way! This is truly the heart and soul of painting en plein air.

Returning:

Over the years, I painted off and on, with long breaks due to running a business, raising children and life in general.  After retiring in 1998, I returned to my life-long dream as a professional artist.  I have had the privilege to study from many accomplished artists who have continued my education, stretched my knowledge and encouraged me.  Combining plein air painting with my travel wanderings is an on-going obsession for me.

 

 Beth’s 9” x 12” plein air painting in Harbor of Korcula 2018

                                           

 Beth painting with her students in Croatia 2018

             

Expanding:

I recognized several years ago, while traveling with 2 young sons in tow, that painting with oils en plein air was not always practical.  Sketching became my next-best thing.  My incredibly-gifted-sketcher/architect husband and I gave each son his own sketch book, so it started our travel ritual to sketch at some point every day. ( I find that most children are natural artists and it was a great way to keep them occupied while waiting for food to arrive!)    Over the years, this ritual has added dimension to my direct observation of real life, and has created a tangible memory of wonderful experiences.  I strongly encourage daily sketching, and particularly Travel Sketch Journaling, to artists and to non-artists alike.   You will be surprised how much this will improve your painting and enrich your life.

Travel Sketch example

     Beth teaching Travel Sketch Journaling 2018

       

On-going:

Painting, like life, is not a destination, it is a journey…...  And as that old adage goes:  Drawing will always make you a better painter, but painting will never make you a better drawer.  With these two thoughts in mind, I continue to draw and paint from direct observation daily.  Well, as daily as possible!

I consider it a privilege and obligation to share my knowledge of painting with others, since other artists have graciously shared their knowledge with me. I frequently receive messages from people needing advice, encouragement, lessons or a painting buddy, and I welcome these opportunities. I am most grateful for the experiences and friendships that life as an artist has given me.  Above all, I believe that we are to honor God in all that we do, with the talents and abilities He has given us.  Colossians 3:17

Beth Dean is a Mississippi native who holds a BS in Interior Design from Mississippi State, with an elected emphasis in Renaissance Art History.  She paints en plein air, is a studio painter, and an Urban Sketcher.  Her studio is next to her home on a lake in Madison County. Beth travels frequently to paint and to sketch en plein air.  She is partial to Italy, and loves adventure and discovering places where she gathers inspiration for her paintings.

Beth teaches plein air workshops, studio oil painting, and her most requested workshop, Travel Sketch Journaling. In September, Beth will be teaching a 1-Day Workshop in Helena, AR,  where she is  the Juror of  “Helena on the Mississippi.....en Plein Air” paint-out competition. 

You can see her work and contact her at:

www.bethdeanstudio.com

bethdeanstudio on Instagram

Beth Dean Studio on Facebook

Beth Dean Artist on Twitter

A big thanks to Beth Dean for her wonderful post!

Follow this blog about Mississippi artists. In the coming weeks, this site will be publishing works by several plein air painters from around Mississippi. 

Contact Dot Courson at artist@dotcourson.com to find out how to contribute. 

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Click to join me right now at these links:

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