STARKVILLE — For Amy Webb, a normal day begins digging up weeds from the carrot patch on Yokna Bottoms Farm. A typical day ends in her studio in Water Valley, painting unusual scenes from southern life.
“I have lived in Mississippi my whole life, and I feel like these are snapshots that, when all of them are viewed together, feel southern, but not directly so,” Webb said. “I’m not painting a rusty barn or a cow field, but I am painting like the crawdad hole and lots of empty space on highways and county roads and a Sonic and a used car for sale.”
Webb is the latest artist in residence at the MacGown Art Retreat and Studio, whose goal is to create art and meet with art enthusiasts in the city during her two week stay. Webb is an oil painter, working in thin layers of oil paint on gesso boards to create dream-like snapshots of Mississippi.
Joe MacGown, owner of the studio, described Webb’s work as vignettes of different parts of the state, as with each layer she paints, she uses a dry brush to create a haze over the painting.
“When I look at (her) art, I see this viewer, often through a lens or a glass,” MacGown said. “You’re not quite looking right at something, but you’re looking through something that diffuses the world slightly. You’re looking through a reflection of something and it gives it an ethereal, dream-like state.”
Webb said she started moving towards her life as an artist/farmer after she graduated high school and started working at the Gumtree Museum of Art in Tupelo. While she was there, she also started volunteering on a farm for the first time.
When Webb moved to Oxford to attend the University of Mississippi’s art program, she was determined to find another farm where she could volunteer. That was when she discovered Yokna Bottom Farm, where she started out volunteering once again, before coming on as an employee.
Between her alone time in the studio and on the farm, Webb said solitude has become a driving factor in her art. But she said this isolation is not a bad thing. Instead, she called it “essential” for her mental health, as time alone in both jobs helps her to find fulfillment in each.
“When I have alone time, I feel like I can be more mindful and deliberate in my decisions, whether that’s in my personal life or in my art,” Webb said.
MacGown said Webb’s love of nature, along with her ability to create art in solitude, made the MARS residency program a perfect fit for her. But Webb said she is also excited to meet other art lovers while she is in town, to trade inspiration with others.
Since her arrival on Sept. 28, Webb has already visited with a Mississippi State University art thesis class, MacGown said, but two more public receptions are scheduled for this week. This includes an open house at MARS on Sunday from 3-6 p.m. and a reception at the Starkville Area Arts Council’s Main Street lobby on Thursday from 5:30-7 p.m.
For more information on Webb’s receptions or to schedule a visit with Webb during her residency, email [email protected].
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