Plein Air Painters in Mississippi

Sunday, August 26, 2018

Mississippi Plein Air Painting

By Guest artist Benny Melton of Yazoo City, MS

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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Sunday, August 12, 2018

The Road to Becoming a Plein Air Artist

By Guest Art Blogger Sue Kirkpatrick, Arab, Alabama (former resident of Iuka, Mississippi)

Sue Kirkpatrick.
(All images on this post ©2018|Sue Kirkpatrack unless noted otherwise)

I was solidly bitten by the art bug so now I have a bad case of passion for painting!!! Oil painting in particular. I have pursued oil painting by attending many workshops, buying art books, and buying more and more art supplies!

One of Marc Hanson's workshops at Courson Workshops in Pontotoc, MS

Painted/sketched this in Zhaoming Wu's workshop in Huntsville sponsored by Protege Atelier.

What I've discovered is that being an artist is a struggle in many ways. Actually, I got a late start-I was past middle age when most people start slowing down. A late start with a 90 degree learning curve would cause most people to question maybe not for me:
I had only taken two art courses in college, I was not at all comfortable with art language, and I had no intelligent art painting skills.

One of my favorite quotes:

"I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it.

- Vincent Van Gogh

Kim English at Courson Workshops in Pontotoc, MS.

I started going to art workshops. I found that every time I went to an art workshop my art painting skills improved and I started to learn some art language. Like I learned the word “Value” was a pretty important word in the art world. So I started trying to learn about value and the value scale and how to use correct values in painting. Did I say I being an artist is a struggle!

Here are a few photos of my paintings and photos from some workshops that I have been privileged to go to.

Reference photo credit :Steve West.
Painting ©2018|Sue Kirkpatrack

I'm still working on using correct value in my painting. I know I will continue to work on correct value skills until I die!!! Then value leads to color harmony, and to colors in your palette, then to limited palette, to composition, and to design! And on an on and on! Van Gogh was so right...

Then there are the artist, the past master painters, the living master painters, and all the really good painters in between!!!

As I went to workshop after workshop I also became acquainted with some of the most amazing people who were working to do the same thing I was doing, struggling to be an artist.
So many of these wonderful people were really already great artists who helped me tremendously!! And I am grateful for the help they gave me.

Sue's painting at the member's show, Shoals Art Guild took Best in Show
©2018|Sue Kirkpatrack

Sue Kirkpatrick is a retired teacher who lived in the lovely and historical village of Iuka, MS from 1998-2002. She attended the "W" in Columbus, MS her freshman year in college. After retiring as an educator she and husband, Terrell, now live in Arab, AL.

Sue began her artist journey by painting watercolor portraits while living in Iuka, MS.

Sue is now a pursuing oil painting by studying and attending plein air, figurative, and portrait workshops. She has studied with Kim English, Quang Ho, Jason Saunders, Marc Hanson, Morgan Samuel Price, Stapleton Kearns, and Zhaoming Wu among others. Sue paints most every day. Visit her website at: suekirkpatrickart.com

A big thanks to Sue Kirkpatrick for her story!

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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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.

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.

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.

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.

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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Monday, August 6, 2018

An Essay on Plein air and Studio Work

by guest blogger Curtis Jaunsen of Ocean Springs, MS

Plein Air East Beach, Morning 8x10 by Curtis Jaunsen

One of the things I’ve read about in art marketing essays is that the artist benefits from having a consistent “look” or style to their work. According to this theory, consistent work is easier for the potential collector to connect with, particularly if it is different enough from other artists work that it stands out just by that virtue.

Lemons and Vase 18x18 by Curtis Jaunsen

I don’t dispute this, it’s something I’ve been trying to be a little more careful about with my work, its just something that I haven’t really achieved yet. I paint inside my studio probably around 75 percent of my working time and outside, ‘en plein air”, the other 25 percent.

Studio Painting, Ocean Springs Sunset 24x36 by Curtis Jaunsen

I probably paint an even number of landscapes and still lifes with an occasional portrait when the spirit moves me. When I first started out though it was almost exclusively still lifes and then always painted in the slow and careful method I learned from the Florence Academy of Art. In those paintings the subject was light and how it revealed the objects and surroundings in my still life setup. My sole focus was on capturing the atmosphere that gave it all a sense of life.

A couple things happened over the last few years to change my approach. One was that when I went outside to paint I discovered slow and careful doesn’t really work. The light conditions change too quickly and the artist is almost required to be bold. The other was that after painting a few hundred still lifes in a classical, traditional manner the whole process started to feel repetitive and boring.

Bowl with Lemons, 9x12 by Curtis Jaunsen

Studio Painting, Coast Harbor, 16x20 by Curtis Jaunsen

Now I have an almost two separate approaches when working. When I’m outside or when I’m inside painting something that I feel needs a more direct treatment I try to paint with the concern being accuracy. I look for the subtleties that require a bit of careful observation but then I try to put it on canvas pretty much as seen with little concern for paint handling, just straight forward brush on canvas. Hopefully these paintings have emotional content but if so probably more from the observation of the scene and less the painting process if that makes sense.

When I’m inside my studio however the rules are different. Whether it’s a landscape or still life being painted, I am still looking for subtleties, still looking to create a sense of close observation. I start off my painting as before, carefully drawing and establishing the accurate values and colors, but rather than refine and continue this process, while the paint is still wet, I like to use a variety of methods to move it around, blending objects into the background and vice versa. The process becomes a lot more important, making the paint and how its pushed around as important as the scene being rendered. In the studio I use several different palette knives, a large scraper, a few different putty knives, tissues and paper towels and of course different brushes to put paint down and move it around.

Glass Vase and Lemons 16x20 by Curtis Jaunsen

During the process I’m looking at the canvas more and the subject less. I can push it into a more realized rendering of the subject or a more abstracted direction. Which direction I go while painting is determined by what I’m seeing on the canvas and whether I think it’s working or not. This open ended process makes the final painting more of a discovery than something predetermined. The best result is one where both the scene and the painted surface look fully observed, meaning you can tell the artist really understood the shifts of light, the gesture of the forms in the scene being painted and the paint itself.

Plein Air- Biloxi Harbor 9x12 by Curtis Jaunsen

One thing I think I’m going to try in the future is bringing some of the studio methods outside. Its good to keep trying new things and maybe that can lead to more consistency.

Curtis Jaunsen is a Mississippi artist who lives on the Gulf Coast. Formerly an architect practicing in Atlanta, Curtis moved with his family to Mississippi almost twenty years ago to be closer to his wife’s extended family. He began his life as artist by first studying classical painting at the Florence Academy of Art in Florence, Italy. Since 2005 Curtis has been painting portraits, still lifes and landscapes, outside or in his studio in Ocean Springs, MS.

Curtis’s plein air paintings are available at the Pink Rooster Gallery in downtown Ocean Springs. His studio work, including portraits, landscapes and still lifes can be see at the Carol Robinson Gallery on Magazine Street in New Orleans. He will be having a solo show at Carol’s gallery this September 8^th. Additionally his work can be seen online at curtisjaunsenart.com. A link to his facebook and Instagram pages can be found on his website.

A big thanks to Curtis Jaunsen 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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Sunday, July 29, 2018

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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Sunday, July 22, 2018

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.

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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