MacGown Art Activities have not slowed down!

The last 3 months were about as busy as the previous 3 months!! We finished up our Sunday Funday events for the year with our last one on October 28 being the best thus far. We even got a road closure that one, had more vendors, more music, wonderful kids' art activities, inflatable jump houses, and overall had better sales than previous ones. Being chair of this once a month event has proven to be time consuming, but rewarding. We could not have pulled this off without great support from sponsors, grants, volunteers, vendors, the media, and attendees! Thanks to everyone. 

In between Sunday Fundays, we participated in several other artwalks, pop up shows and festivals such as the Meridian Art Walk (first Saturdays), the Columbus Artwalk, The Starkville Artwalk, Scooter's Records Pop Up Show, the Prairie Arts Festival (West Point, MS), the Peter Anderson Festival (Ocean Springs), the Mary Day Exhibition (Oxford, MS), the AIPP Abstract Show (Starkville, MS), the DC Sticker Expo 4.0 (Washington DC), the Scrambled Art Bowl (Oxford, MS), Oktoberfest Fundraiser for Columbus Arts (Columbus, MS), and more!! 

Next up is the Starkville Area Arts Council Holiday Showcase with an opening reception on Thursday, 15 November 2018 from 5:30-7 PM. I will have three pictures in that one including "Phoenix", "Purple Flowers", and "Mayan Rebirth". Come check out the cool art and have some fun snacks and wine!! 

This Saturday, November 17, I will be conducting a workshop on botanical illustration and sketching at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens in Birmingham, AL. If this goes well, I plan on doing some similar things on my property in Sessums if there is interest! 

On Friday, November 30, from 6 to 9 pm, we have some MacGown Art for sale at a fun pop up show at the Elegance Dance Hall space on Front Street in Meridian, MS. 

The next day, December 1, we will be set up at the Pop Poporium from 11 to 5 for our second annual Christmas Pop Up Show. You won't want to miss this one, as we will have several new vendors selling their artistic creations! 

Following the Pop Porium Show, I will likely take a brief break from these types of events, but if you want some art from me, just let me know. 

Busy Summer for MacGown Art

Whew, I have not posted on here in a while. But there has been plenty going on. Following the numerous events in April, both Joseph MacGown and I had art on display at the Gumtree Arts Festival in Tupelo on 12 and 13 May and at Sunday Funday on 27 May and 24 June. I had 5 pieces in the "Recent Winners of the Cotton District Juried Arts Show" on display at the Greater Starkville Development Partnership Office in June with the show moving to the West Point Arts Council gallery later in June (up through August).

Our next Sunday Funday is this coming Sunday, 22 July 2018, from 1-6 PM near the Parthenon on University Drive in Starkville. This kid friendly event is really growing and we will have four musical acts featuring Bryce Mitchell, Brent Varner, Nick Crews, and Flathead Ford; there will be about 30 art vendors there; some light food vendors; art activities for kids in the Parthenon; and more! Come see us. The first two were hot, but a blast!

Joseph and I completed three large paintings commissioned by Jay Yates, co-owner of the Veranda Restaurant in Starkville. Each piece was about 7 x 3 feet and they are hanging in the veranda section!

I have been busy working on various projects including a recently finished piece called "Parasitism", which is an ink on wood work about 22 x 32 inches.

Abstract Show in Starkville, MS - Reception 21 August 2014

We will be having a group exhibition featuring abstract works by local Golden Triangle residents at the Greater Starkville Development Partnership Gallery at 200 Main Street in Starkville, MS. The Show opens August 4th, 2014 and will be up until the end of October. A reception will be held on Thursday, August 21 between 5:30 and 6:30 pm. Come by and check it out and partake in some delightful refreshments! 

I will be including three pieces: Green Silence, Submission, and Tree. 

Submission

Tree

Green Silence

Paul Buckley, abstract artist, sculptor, and art collector extradinaire

The other day, I wrote about a visit to Laurie Burton's studio, which was sweet, as was she. But, Laurie is only one of many local super cool and very talented art folks in our Golden Triangle region.  This place is littered with talent. I have a theory that if you knocked on any random door, you would likely find a person who has some sort of artistic, musical, or literary talent. Amazing.

After we left Laurie's, I dropped Joseph off somewhere and headed home. I ending taking a different route home due to where I dropped him off. I realized that this route would take me right past the home of Paul Buckley. So, what the heck, I called him and asked if I could stop by and check out his studio and art. No notice or anything, other than about 3 minutes. Paul answered the phone and was like, "man, come on over..." Three minutes later, I was parked in front of Paul's awesome cabin like home. The place is set in the woods and has a porch completely surrounding it!

Paul is a scientist by day, but the rest of the time, he is an artist. He paints, he sculpts, he creates amazing assemblages from found objects, and creates various other types of art. Paul also loves art and collects a bunch of it. His house is its own unique art gallery. In fact, we don't have a local gallery that would come close to what he has in his home! Great artist and great supporter of the arts.

Cool sculpture on Paul's porch done by another artist

some of Paul's acquisitions

Paul's place is almost overwhelming. Its so full of art, you don't know where to begin. Simply amazing.  Colorful 2D images, cool sculptures with lots of nice vertical elements, things hanging from the ceiling, stained glass, bits of random pieces of "junk" that are now part of the show and/or destined to become a part of some piece of artwork, and colorful photographs laying about. When I arrived, he had some trippy music playing in the background. Man, this place! Freakin awesome. An artist's and art lover's paradise.

A view of the main living area, with artwork everywhere.

If you don't know Paul, you should find a way to meet him. This guy, I don't know, sixty something years old, is like a hyper mountain goat or something. Moving all the time, thinking, creating, wishing he had a thousand more years to create. I tried to take a picture of this trippy mugg, but was able to only get a somewhat blurry image, because he is always in movement! 

Paul on his deck

Looking at Paul's works reveals his passion for art. He pours his soul into his work. If you really look at his work, you can see his ups and downs in life. And this guy is a manic artist for sure. Although he sells his fair share of paintings, he has stacks of new ones ready to go. 

Paul's studio, with his works on the walls

Paul's abstract paintings are full of passion, intensity, and energy! Color! Movement! It is easy to picture this skinny, bearded joker in his element slamming down paint, expressing his innermost emotions while listening to wonderful music. Beautiful! His 3D pieces are equally fascinating. Many of these are assemblages are made of found or junk material. Sometimes, the components of his pieces have significant personal meaning to him. I won't elaborate to what those meanings may be, but they are ever present. Here is a nice example of one of these pieces. 

One of Paul's sculptures

As of late, Paul has been working on collaborative projects with some other local artists including the likes of Patrick Tranum and Libby Pollard. He showed me a mosaic piece that he and Libby had done together, and a large 3D sculpture collab that he and Patrick had completed. Hopefully, I can do an collaboration of some type with him one day. 

Paul uses any method possible to get his artistic thoughts down. I noticed several really cool pieces that were combinations of painting and collage. Very effective pieces. Here is one below.  

One of Paul's collages

Man, what an awesome Saturday afternoon of art in Starkville! Yeah, I guess I could have driven to New Orleans or Memphis and visited some crazy art gallery, but it sure was nice to find this kind of talent and passion right here in Starkville!