M
ississippi artist Dot Courson of Pontotoc paints memories … of farm life and the rural South, rivers and streams, gardens and woods, fields and barns.
“People want a memory presented in a modern way,” she said. “They want to feel they have been there. They want a sense of place, and they want the painting to look real but not antiquated. They want to be able to look at a painting and say to themselves, ‘That reminds me’ or ‘I know where that is.’ ” Courson grew up on farms in Alcorn and Calhoun counties and regularly visited relatives in the Delta. She knows how snowy cotton looks bursting from a boll on a cool autumn afternoon or how river water feels to bare feet on a hot summer day. She understands how light and shadow play upon a winding country road and how clothes can billow out from a line on a breezy spring morning. “When my husband and I started dating, he was surprised to discover that I actually knew how to can vegetables,” she said with a smile. “But that’s my background. I know all of that.” Courson uses oils and a limited color pallet. She says she knew from grade school (because she was told by college art professors who judged a school contest) that she was a natural impressionist. “I love landscapes better than anything. And anything I paint in the Delta is a favorite because that’s where I have many childhood memories,” she said. “A lot of my scenes are rural pastoral landscapes. And a lot of my scenes have a looser, more impressionistic feel. Some of them look better from a distance. You can see how all of the individual strokes of the brush come together to form the whole.” It would seem to someone who is not an artist that painting detailed scenery requires much time and patience in addition to a whole lot of skill. But Courson says when you love what you are doing that never crosses your mind. “If you have the desire to do this, it just brings you joy,” she said. “This is what I have always wanted to do all of my life, but I never had the time to do it full-time until now.” Courson’s career was in nursing. She possesses a master’s degree
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in Nursing/Health Care Administration, and she practiced as a registered nurse. She also taught nursing and worked for a time as a nurse administrator. She and Jackie raised three children and have eight grandchildren. For many years, Dot balanced her career with her family and painted part-time. Along the way, she took college art courses and studied with renowned artists across the U.S., including the late Billy Kirk, a noted and respected Mississippi artist whom she considers her true mentor. She had an opportunity to meet and visit with American realist landscape artist Andrew Wyeth, a memory she treasures. Now that Jackie is retired and free to accompany her, and now that her kids are grown, Courson spends her days painting, traveling, and attending art shows and workshops. She also teaches art on a limited basis and holds her own workshops two or three times a year. She says her goal is to become a successful full-time artist, and she approaches it as a business by getting out and marketing her work. She wants to make art – and not some other field of endeavor – her career. “I can’t believe how blessed I am,” she said with a smile. “When you are doing what you love, then no matter whether you are wealthy or poor, you are rich. “I always tell people that I am rich.”
Southern Breeze Gallery in Madison represents Dot Courson’s work and will feature her work in a special show in October. She is also represented by Caron Gallery and Staggs Interiors, both in Tupelo. Dot was recently made a “Signature” member of the Women Painters of the Southeast (one of three), and she also serves on the board of directors. This group is made up of some of the Southeast's most noted women artists. She is a juried member of the Oil Painters of America, Landscape Artists International, Mississippi Painter’s Society, Mississippi Oil Painters Association, Women Painters of the Southeast and American Impressionists Society. She has won numerous awards and is listed on the Mississippi Writers, Musicians and Artists official Web site for “having contributed to the literary and cultural heritage of Mississippi.” She and Jackie are longtime members of Pontotoc County Farm Bureau.
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