Devna Bose / The Meridian StarJustin Donald displays his art at the Grandstand at the Neshoba County fairgrounds.

Tequila, soot from a chimney, gunpowder, red Mississippi dirt, paint, sweat, tears – those are the components of Justin Donald’s latest creation, the 2018 Neshoba County Fair poster.

The Neshoba County native’s painting reflects his deep connection to the fair. The iconic red racetrack is the centerpiece, claiming the only spot of color in the painting.

The surrounding cabins are black and white, as is the swirling sky, and a single sun can be seen on the Winstead cabin. The artwork is titled “Angry Son, Happy Sun,” and rightfully so.

“That’s how I got the title. The sun looks angry,” Donald said. “And two, I’m mad at my dad.”

Donald has deep ties to the fair and the harness races held there.

“Since I was a baby, the fair revolved around harness horses and the racetrack,” his note in the fair program reads. “My dad (David) and my granddad (Jerome) raced horses alongside Buddy Dees, Raymond James, the Therrell family and Larry Ward.”

A tribute

However, Donald’s memories of harness racing and the fair haven’t always been pleasant.

“My life revolved around harness horses. It was a hobby for my dad and grandpa, but they expected me and my brothers to do it,” he said. “I resent a horse to this day because of that.”

More Information

The 2018 Neshoba County Fair runs from Friday, July 27 through Friday, August 3. Find the full schedule of political speakers, entertainers and more at www.neshobacountyfair.org/.

 

When Donald was first asked by Linda Griffis to create the painting, he nearly declined because of his “strong mental, physical, and emotional ties to the fair.”

However, being the 10th anniversary of his father’s death, Donald knew that he had to do it as a tribute to his family.

“I did it for my dad and my emotional well-being. I have a lot of resentment towards the fair because of those horses, because of that track. I had so much anger in me doing that painting,” he said. “It was hard. I cried, I cussed my dad, I was just angry and hurt. But I would not let that cause me to quit.”

Donald’s connection to the fair is one of the reasons he was selected, according to Griffis.

“We try to select local artists, and not only is Justin talented, but his family has such a history in the fair and racing,” she said. “When you look at the painting, you can see exactly where he was coming from. I loved the idea that he used dirt form the racetrack, but that’s just who Justin is – the picture of creativity.”

In fact, because of Donald’s complex emotions regarding the fair, he found himself putting far more effort into this project than he expected.

“It was so much of an emotional challenge for me, and I put more effort into it,” he said. “I’ve put more thought into this painting that I’ve ever done.”

A process

Creating and recreating the painting was a process, but it was one he had to go through to come to peace with the fair and the painting itself.

“I worked on it for months. It consumed me emotionally and creatively. I wanted to do so much with it that it was getting me confused,” he said.

Finally, one day at 5 a.m., Donald decided that it was perfect, and he sealed it before he could change his mind.

The painting is different from previous, more conventional works of art used as the fair poster, which was Donald’s goal.

At first, he tried to avoid centering the painting on the racetrack since it is so commonly done, but Donald soon found it inevitable because the racetrack was a significant part of his fair, whether he liked it or not.

“Growing up, that’s what I know the fair as. I tried to do this painting from when I was a child in the 80s and reflect back on that,” he said. “I wanted to mix something old and new. To me, the painting looks vintage, and if you look real close, you can see my dad and grandpa on the horses.”

Though it was hard for Donald to create the painting, he maintains that he is honored to have been able to make it.

“You have to grow up here to really know the fair. You can’t just move here and really understand it,” he said. “Those memories start coming out, because you have that dirt right there in your blood.”