STARKVILLE — When Glenn Payne witnesses a moment he wants to capture, the only question he has to ask is whether he should grab his camera or his paintbrush and a canvas.

The fine artist and award-winning filmmaker brought both with him to the city this week, as the latest artist-in-residence for the MacGown Art Retreat and Studio. Whether he picks up one or the other, he said, depends on which process will bring him more joy.

“It’s funny how similar they are, but not all the way,” Payne said. “The same image that can make you feel something or speak to you can be in both.”

Payne is originally from Blue Springs, a village near Tupelo. He grew up drawing and was passionate about art, but he never took any formal art classes until he came to Mississippi State University, hoping to get a degree in computer animation.

But when Payne arrived at the university, the computer animation program ended abruptly, pushing him toward a degree in fine art. While that was jarring at the time, the new path he was on strengthened his drawing and painting skills. It also brought him toward film, as he made a short film for the final exam of his introduction to film history class.

“So I made this horrible little thing with no dialogue, just a guy opening up a pizza joint – which was where I worked – and that started this crazy addiction to making movies,” Payne said. “And then for years after that, I began a sort of ‘self taught’ path of gobbling up all the information and lessons I could of how to make something with no money.”

Payne has rotated between focusing more intensely on filmmaking or painting over the course of his career, using one or the other to capture visuals that appeal to him. And when he gets burned out on one, it is nice to have the other to turn to, he said.

For example, Payne worked on a series of paintings for several years until 2020 that he dubbed “Paint Noir,” which are black and white paintings of gangsters that mimics the dramatic shots and lighting of noir films. But when he got tired of painting those subjects, he turned back to film.

“I don’t think that I could do the same thing all the time. When I painted all day every day, I was pretty miserable,” Payne said. “If you asked me to write all day every day on screenplays, I would be miserable.”

Still, Payne has been working full-time as a writer, director and producer for more than 10 years. He owns his own production company, Dead Leaf Productions, which creates commercials and music videos for clients, along producing some of Payne’s passion projects.

Primarily, Payne enjoys making thriller and suspense films, though he said he also enjoys incorporating comedy into those pieces when possible. He also brings those films onto the independent film festival circuit, where he has earned recognition.

Payne directed the horror comedy film “Driven,” focusing on a cab driver facing a supernatural encounter with a malevolent force. After the film was released in 2019, it took home the Best Feature Film award at the Tupelo Film Festival, Best Feature at the Jackson Crossroads Film Festival and Best Home Grown Film at the Magnolia Independent Film Festival in Starkville.

But sometimes, Payne also gets out from behind the camera. In 2021, he released another horror comedy, “Killer Concept,” focusing on three creatives teaming up to write a screenplay about a string of local murders – one of which is played by Payne.

Payne is one of several artists that works out of the Link Centre in Tupelo, along with participates in an improvisational acting group in the city. Still, he loves how filmmaking combines all of his passions, along with bringing in the talents of others.

“I always like to say that film combines all other art forms together,” Payne said. “That doesn’t mean it’s better, that’s not the point. But I’m just saying it involves writers, actors, musicians, dancers, photography. … Everybody gets to work together on this thing in a way.”

MARS, owned by local artist and entomologist Joe MacGown, hosts one of the only private paid artist-in-residency programs in the state, funded through grants from the Del Rendon Foundation. MacGown said he met Payne on the art festival circuit, along with seeing his films at the Magnolia Film Festival. Payne’s multi-faceted artistic expressions made him an ideal candidate for the residency program, MacGown said.

MacGown said Payne will be meeting with MSU students throughout his stay, along with visits with the public. A Meet and Greet is slated for 2-5 p.m. Sunday at 211 Sessums Road. There will also be a one-night showing of Payne’s paintings from 5:30-7 p.m. May 1 at the Del Rendon Foundation’s headquarters, 100 GT Thames Drive.

“While he’s here, he’s not allowed to sleep. He’s only allowed to paint and make blockbuster movies,” MacGown joked.

Payne’s work is available to view online at glennpayne.com/