The magic of the South captured by Mississippi Delta-influenced artist Rick Anderson is currently showing at Meridian Museum of Art.

Anderson received “Best of Show” honors at MMA’s 43rd Annual Bi-State Art Competition last year and was asked to have an invitational show at the downtown Meridian museum. The current exhibit, titled “Southern Magic,” includes 80 pieces of Anderson’s career work.

“Rick is extremely accomplished in many mediums. In this exhibit, you will find watercolors, drawings, and mixed media pieces indicative of his career beginning in the 1970s,” MMA Executive Director Kate Cherry says of Anderson’s work. “This is a very impressive show and I hope individuals will visit the Museum to view it.”

Reared in the Mississippi Delta, Anderson states in an artist’s release that he believes there is “magic” in the South, and it is where he fell in love with art, starting his lifelong journey of creation. He displays his contemporary realist style, combining abstract forms often with realistic images, in numerous galleries and competitive shows. His favorite media are acrylic, watercolor, pencil, and collage, which he often combines to create landscapes and contemporary work. Although his gallery works are at times highly imaginative, Anderson said he also enjoys painting realistic illustrations in the children’s books that he illustrates. This retrospective exhibit of Anderson’s work reveals a wide range of techniques, from photographic pencil drawings to small and large contemporary two-dimensional mixed media work on canvas and paper.

The artist attributes growing up in the Mississippi Delta as having a strong impact on his art. The Delta is expansively flat and yet complex, with linear planes created by farmland, wooded areas and open fields that repeat, one after another, toward the horizon. Anderson’s work reflects this complexity, but the Delta does not limit his art.

“As I travel, whether in the United States or abroad, I capture experiences and feelings of place,” Anderson states in the release. “Once in my studio, I express these experiences in a spontaneous and fluid manner, often beginning with just a basic idea. As I incorporate design elements, images, shapes, and layering techniques, the work itself guides me and I find the journey of discovery personally fulfilling. Just as my relationship with each piece is drawn from my experience, I invite the viewer to arrive at his or her own interpretation of the work.”

With a career spanning over four decades, Anderson has worked both as a professional artist and an art educator. He is on both the artist and art education rosters of the Mississippi Arts Commission, which features professional artist or arts educators who devote their time to practicing, performing, or teaching their discipline. He has presented to schools throughout the U.S. and Germany, promoting literacy through book illustrations, painting, and two-dimensional mixed media studio art workshops. Most days Rick can be found creating new works, at his home studio in Clinton, Mississippi.

“Anderson has a long list of awards, honors, exhibitions and books illustrated during his career. But I am most impressed with his commitment to teaching art throughout his life,” Cherry said.” His commitment to producing art while teaching, made an impression on his students. A number of them still consider him a mentor and a friend. What more can one ask for during a lifetime of dedication?”

An opening reception for “Southern Magic” will be held Saturday, from 6-8 p.m., at Meridian Museum of Art, located at 628 25th Ave. The museum is open Wednesday-Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and by appointment at other times. Admission is free.

For more information, contact Kate Cherry at 601-693-1501, meridianmuseum@bellsouth.net or visit their website www.meridianmuseum.org

 

• Patrons/sponsors for the Anderson Exhibit are the city of Meridian, the Phil Hardin Foundation, the Mississippi Arts Commission, the Riley Foundation, Meridian Airport Authority, the Community Foundation of East Mississippi and the National Endowment of the Arts.