Susy Sanders passionate about art

By Ca le b McClusk ey

Flowers, architectural studies, and abstractions fill artist Susy Sanders. When asked about her art, she will flash a wry smile and say “I guess I’m a flower painter, unfortunately.” and chuckle.

Sanders was born in Trenton, Tenn., a small town located in the northwest section of the state near the city of Jackson. Growing up in a town that had less than 1,000 people at the time, she said there “wasn’t much art to be had,” but it was always in the corner of her mind.

“I made paper dolls and cardboard furniture for them, and I was able to recreate Christmas cards. I was the best tracer in my school,” she said.

This affinity for art lasts to this day. Her aunt and uncle, who raised her after the untimely death of both her parents, encouraged her to go One of Sanders’ impressive pieces of artwork.

S a n d e r s ’ a r t w o r k i n c l u d e s v a r i o u s s c e n e s f r o m her travels including Sayulita, Mexico. Above is a portait of a woman she did while in a workshop.

into art when she went to college. She majored in commercial art and spent time teaching art in a Memphis junior high school and working as an advertisement creator for a local company, among other things.

It wasn’t until she had her children and was married that she started getting into painting wholeheartedly. She started going to night classes, workshops and college lectures on painting, architectural design and pastels and found a true passion for her new hobby.

“I was dying to paint,” she said of her time as an art teacher and advertiser.

After her sons, Jay and Sam Sanders, moved out on their own and she had an empty nest, she moved from easier to clean mediums like watercolor to more abstract mixes and mediums.

“Watercolors served me well when I was raising a family and needed a way to quickly clean up,” she said. “I love color, and I just want to make beautiful colors.”

Flowers to Sanders are an amazing expression of humanity and symbolism.

“Flowers are a lot like life. There is rapid growth in the beginning, then the flowers blossom and peak “You have to paint hunin their dreds of bad paintings beauty and slowly wilt,” before you can paint a she said. “Not great one. I don’t knowthat I’m making any huge- what I would’ve done here ly profound during the pandemic. I am statement with that.” glad I have a passion. It is

Sanders a blessing.”sees flowers in Susy Sanderseverything, with multiple abstract paintings of hers morphing into flowers over the course of the piece’s construction.

For a time, Sanders owned a gallery named Burke Street Gallery. She said she loved her time as a gallery owner.

“I was in business for 10 years and barely made a dime, but it was great,” she said.

Sanders uses her hobby as an artist to take trips across the country and even to other countries such as Italy, Croatia and France. She said she loved going to different places for workshops, noting she met many life-long friends through them.

On a wall walking into her studio is a painting of her and a friend at one such workshop. She is leaning over speaking to her friend about a paint pallet.

Sanders planned to visit one such friend she met in a workshop in late June, taking a plane to Michigan soon after her interview with the Enterprise-Journal.

Sanders has commissions all over the city, from giant canvas flower paintings at Camellia Estates to the enormous mural at Pike National Bank. She said she used to fall into a hole of making art for commission, but now she tends to “make art for art’s sake.”

Lately, Sanders has been experimenting with different mediums and styles, leaning toward a process of “putting paint on a board.” and she said she has been enjoying the newfound freedom to make a mess and get creative.

Sanders said she is a chronic “rule follower” and had become a

shut-in when the pandemic locked the country down. She said it killed her productivity for a time, but she is following her own advice to younger artists and pushing through the block.

“You have to paint hundreds of bad paintings before you can paint a great one,” she said. “I don’t know what I would’ve done here during the pandemic. I am glad I have a passion. It is a blessing.”

Her next advice was to not sweat finding your style, noting it is already with you and ever changing as you pull influence from other artists.

When asked which of the hundreds of paintings in her home was her favorite, Sanders said, “The next one I paint will be my favorite.” n

Though not a Southerner by birth, I've lived here long enough to appreciate the outburst of Ouiser, from the movie “Steel Magnolias.”

You know the time she flings sacks of fresh tomatoes around to friends in the beauty shop and collapses into a chair and proclaims, “I'm an old Southern woman and we're supposed to wear funny looking hats and ugly LIZ clothes and grow vegMCDANIEL etables in the dirt. Don't ask me those questions. I don't know why, I don't make the rules!"

Summer garden fare — cucumbers, squashes, corn, beans, zucchini, peas, peppers, okra and, of course, my favorite homegrown tomatoes — is ripe for the picking — and cooking.

This season you may have a bumpercrop of tomatoes, cucumbers or peppers on your hands.

If so, why not try a new recipe that just may turn out to be a favorite on your Summer table.

9-inch shallow pie shell, bake according to directions. Let cool. 3-4 fresh tomatoes. Sliced thin.

Place in colander, sprinkle w/salt.

Let drain 10 min. 3-4 fresh basil leaves, torn 1 teaspoon dried dill 1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped onion

In a bowl, combine: 3/4 cup mayo, 1/4 cup sour cream, 1 cup shredded mozzarella 1cup shredded colby-jack, 1/4 cup chopped chives Dash of Louisiana hot sauce Fresh ground pepper. Mix. Set aside.

Layer tomato slices in pie shell, overlap slightly. Fill to almost top. Sprinkle chopped onion.

Place a few basil leaf pieces on filling and dust lightly with dill.

Evenly spread the mayo-cheese mixture on top, cover entire pie.

Finish with fresh ground black pepper, more dill, & tomato slice if desired.

Bake at 350° until bubbly and golden. 30-40 min. Serve warm.

For a brunch, I make "mini" pies in tartlett shells for individual portions.

Use sliced cherry tomatoes, red or yellow... and a heaping teaspoon of the topping per mini pie.

Bake about 15-20 minutes.

Yields 10-12 mini-tart size pies. n

The Iron Horse Festival was held June 12 in Downtown McComb with a great turnout. Pictured clockwise from top: Children play around stalls at the festival; a line of antique cars on Railroad Boulevard for the car show; Ransakk guitarist Jonathan Moran performs; Billy Gaudin performs with New Orleans band Category 6; Fireworks conclude the festival; a visitor dances to music; DJ Aaron Tullos throws shirts to the crowd; local rock band Alibie performs.

Recently a group of athletes competed in the Mississippi Adopt a Hero’s Hero Dash at the Bogue Chitto Water Park. Event organizer Jamie Stone said the event was a great success. It raised money to provide equipment and sponsor events for local first responders.

Participants in the recent Juneteenth celebration included, clockwise from left: Rebeka Williams playing violin; Roshana Williams on keyboard and Monica Williams singing; and Hilda Casin receiving a plaque at the celebration.