Woman dressed in Spanish style standing in the doorway of a restaurant/bar
“Frida at the Door” by artist Sherry Carlson

A Gulf Coast Artist Shares Her Vision

The MGCCC Jackson County Fine Arts Gallery announces the opening of the exhibit “Sight & Sensibility: A Lady’s Perspective” by Saucier, Mississippi artist Sherry Carlson. The exhibit will be open to the public March 8-April 19, with an opening reception at 12:15 p.m. on Thursday, March 8.

About the Artist

Carlson received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Alabama, and is the past president of the Gulf Coast Art Association. She is extremely active with several regional art organizations and events, and is currently represented by The Pink Rooster Gallery in Ocean Springs.

“My work reflects an intimate interaction within my immediate community and home,” she said.

People, objects and nature are interpreted by the relationship we share. A rich history is reflected in rusted and worn surfaces, skin imperfections, textures and surfaces. Some of these are seen so frequently in passing that they cease to be acknowledged in real life, settling into the background with nature overtaking and changing them.

“I seek to see my surroundings in different lights, to appreciate their histories and character. Through stopping to capture the moment in paint, I hope to slow others down enough to take notice of who, what or where exists right in front of them.”

The Artist’s Craft

She works mostly in watercolor on a mid-weight cold-pressed Arches sheet. “The fluid and transparent nature of the medium allows a view of previous histories of color, and the surface can easily be given a faux impression of texture or a physical scraping,” she said. “Detail is last and can be left to the viewer’s imagination. Composition, darks and lights, then color take precedence. Even with busy subjects, I strive to have a calm, comfortable, familiar feel to my paintings. They are meant to have the viewer linger, have sensations of ambient noise, want to touch them.”

While she prefers plein air painting, many of her pieces originate from photographs or thumbnail sketches. “My teaching and art groups have honed my ability to tune out external distractions while zoning in on the sensations I wish to keep in the paintings. The ultimate goal is for the viewer to feel what I felt about my subject while I was creating the painting.”

The Jackson County Campus Fine Arts Gallery hours are 9 a.m. -3 p.m., Monday-Friday. For more information, contact Marc Poole at 228-497-7684.

Sunflowers in a vase on a table
“Sunflower Table Scene” by artist Sherry Carlson
flowers on an awning over a doorway
“Rainbow Awning Over Door” by Sherry Carlson

Interested in art courses at MGCCC? Learn more about enrolling at MGCCC.

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