During the month of February, this current show of mine is displayed at the Hyran E. Barefoot Gallery in Jackson, TN. Enjoy this micro-portion of images and art that I have created over the last two decades. Some are photographs, some are mixed media. Feel free to ask questions or purchase any and all of the pieces which speak to you. Check out my web site for updates in my online gallery to purchase pieces in the future! Thank you for visiting my virtual online gallery.
CME Church with Rewards Sign
Living in Jackson, Tennessee, I often thought I was in a sweet little bubble, especially when I traveled to larger cities. Within the bubble, I found safety and security. This image was one that I took in the late 90s on an old road somewhere in the country. It struck me that this was still going on and I had probably just not acknowledged that racism is still alive. Justice should come for the ones who had to even make this sign for their church yard.
Black and White photograph hand printed in dark room, 2000. Prints available on request.
We Gave Peace a Chance and This Is What We Got
When I went to Ground Zero of NYC in 2002, I was overwhelmed with all of the wooden boards still up on windows of buildings and that surrounding area was still boarded up. There was a great amount of graffitti as well as notes about people who were missing. I was instantly moved when I saw this image, starting a long journey taking pictures of graffitti. It was a rally cry for the ones who were missing loved ones and an anonymous way for the writer to get out some frustration.
Black and White photograph, 2002. Prints available upon request.
Chicago Quagmire Walk/Rally
On a weekend fun trip to Chicago in 2003, my friends and I walked out of our easy-going hotel to a protest right outside. The people were screaming and chanting about the war in Iraq and how much of a quagmire we were in, as the US was at war still. When I looked at this older lady that held her sign, I couldn’t get the word QUAGMIRE out of my mind as I have now watched many rallies and protests over time. Quagmire, as stated in the dictionary, means “an awkward, complex, or hazardous situation.” You bet. Though it may have been awkward, but I couldn’t stop looking at each of these protestors in the eyes. I really admired their courage and bravery to stand up and make their voices heard.
Black and White photographs, 2003. Prints available upon request.
"What if? Well, then..."
This piece has been something I've been tossing around in my mind for years. I've taken photos like this. I could've made a B&W image of these connections ... But to actually create a piece from a set of empty canvases changed the way I saw it in the end. Not black and white, but in a bunch of colors. Lots of colors - and some gold. Because life is never black or white. There have been times in my life when I would ask my Dad, “What if...” and he would reply, “Well, then...” and we would have long talks. He passed away in September 2020 of dementia, so those talks were very limited in the last ten years. What if we stop and thank someone today, no matter their race, age, ethnicity, religion or gender? Well then, we would all see more peace, justice, love and community.
Gouache, oil pastels on canvas mounted on painted wood board, 12.5” x 24” finished, 2020. Original for sale at https://www.melissamannbeanartwork.com/for-sale/what-if-well-then-
Thank You, Mr. Lewis
This piece was a completely white canvas and I had painted a white butterfly on it. Then I waited. Sometimes canvas or other substrates need to sit and wait for the right moment to be used and worked. After watching the funeral of John Lewis, I was moved by his life’s work as a statesman and civil rights activist. His convictions in which he carried himself in the office made me take pause. What a giant of a leader and what history he had witnessed. He was one of a kind with his now famous quote about “good trouble.” May we all fight for those who are oppressed and be fair in our own lives to do what is not just right, but also what we see as merciful. There are times when we are asked to have mercy over sacrifice. I’m thankful for the people in my lifetime that have shown both with dignity and honor.
Mixed media on 20” x24” canvas, 2020. Original for sale at https://www.melissamannbeanartwork.com/for-sale/thank-you-mr-lewis
Buy the Red Boots
When I first started working on this larger piece, I just wanted to dive in. I was surrounded with darkness and doubt and fear because of Coronavirus, the election, Louisville’s racial tension and all that encompasses... I remembered a more peaceful time when a friend and I were talking about whether she should buy the red boots or simple, ordinary black boots she had been looking at in a store. I told her, “You only will know that you truly live if you just buy the red boots. You already own black boots. Try doing something with more of a spark of your personality!” She went on to buy the red boots and now she has a very cool online fashion blog. So when the doubt, fear and darkness creep in and you wear your red boots (or in this case, a brightly colored umbrella), you will still see some days of gloom; however, be the one who isn’t afraid to stand out, buy the colorful umbrella or red boots, and shine. It’s okay to lift others up and let them lift you up in the darkest of times.
Mixed media on paper. Final finished frame edges 31” x 25”, 2020. Original for sale at https://www.melissamannbeanartwork.com/for-sale/buy-the-red-boots
The Five Stages of Grief
“No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear.” - A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis
When I’ve gone through a grieving process, I always think back to a psychology class I took in college. We learned about the five stages of grief. Grieving is something we aren’t too good at here in the US. We rush through so many processes and grief is one process I would like to see slowed. These steps look different for everyone. In grieving, if you ever need someone to walk with you, please find help. There are many ways to get through each stage and sometimes you want to be alone. Sometimes, however, you need to sort things out verbally so that you won’t be overcome with emotions all the time.
These are hymns from a hymnal printed in 1930. These old hymns were ones that I found to have a theme about them, so many times in the church we sing things and don’t really think about their true meanings.
Watercolor on vintage hymnal paper, mounted on 4”x4” wooden blocks, 2020. Original for sale at https://www.melissamannbeanartwork.com/for-sale/5-stages-of-grief
Say Her Name
There have been protests and marches for justice in Louisville for months because of the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor. As I watched the video footage that was recently released, I hoped and prayed that justice would be served. The images I use here are ones from my own collection from Justice Square, where the protestors would gather and made a makeshift memorial for Breonna. The federal building and other buildings had been boarded up. There were headlines that were all about BLM for months. The state of Kentucky was also in the upheaval of Covid-19 numbers growing daily. There was so much tension, I could feel it everywhere. At some point during those months I felt like the state took a major dip in livelihood, but now we will hopefully start to grow and heal as a city.
Digital mixed media. 11”x 17” final digital file, 2020. Prints available upon request.
Four Days in Louisville
Getting a call that my Dad only had two-72 hours to live was not expected in September. I knew he was declining from dementia, but I thought we would have at least another Christmas together. So the last four days of my Dad’s life were tough, not just because of his passing, but there were so many cloudy things going on here in Louisville. Higher cases of Covid-19 in the state were making people tense and tired of wearing masks and taking precautions. Tensions were mounting as the Kentucky Grand Jury made the decision about the Breonna Taylor case, causing the city to be on curfew. One of the cops had been indicted on wanton endangerment for shooting into the apartment nextdoor to Taylor’s. Nothing was resolved with her actual shooting. Homicides in Louisville were on the rise and people were getting carjacked at random. We were also in the midst of a political storm on a federal level that had escalated everyone’s blood pressure. I will never forget that Friday when Dad breathed his last breath – when I stepped outside there were helicopters overhead because the protests were all over the city.
Digital mixed media. 11”x 17” final digital file, 2020. Prints available upon request.
Let Justice Roll On Like a River
Our church is in Shelby Park, a small community that has been in turmoil from violence, financial insecurity and pain for years. Yet the beauty is that now small businesses are trickling into the neighborhood and people feel safer than in previous years. There are still violent things that occur randomly, but Sojourn is a harbor of light in the midst of the pain. Sojourn Arts coordinated a piece of art and put it up on the side of the building. The art was derived from Amos 5:24. “But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” When I drove by, I was so grateful that I am in a church community that never fails to address real issues that we all go through and that we aren’t afraid to discuss hard things. I used that as a springboard to do a watercolor piece, then added images: the Sojourn Midtown building, the latest headline from December of two more police officers getting charged for the Breonna Taylor case and a picture of the Ohio River. Let justice roll on in 2021 and may we all seek God’s wisdom.
Digital mixed media. 11”x 17” final digital file, 2020. Prints available upon request.
Micah 6:8
I have always loved monarch butterflies and made pieces about them throughout my art career, even in childhood. I am always fascinated watching a butterfly and the way it floats through the air. When I think back to all the events that happened in 2020, I will always remember when I saw a monarch land on our butterfly bush two days after my Dad passed away. It was as if Dad was telling me everything would be alright. As the days march on, this verse in Micah resounds with me when I search my own motivations and keeps me humble:
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly[a] with your God.
~ Micah 6:8
Digital mixed media. 11”x 17” final digital file, 2021. Paper prints or print on canvas available upon request.