April 2025 by Mud & Magnolias

April 2025

THE ARTS ISSUE OFFBEAT PRINTS

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n element of putting together our annual issue celebrating the arts – this issue, by the way – that always amazes us is seeing just how broad and varied the arts can be. Just take a quick flip through the issue in your hand (o , simply glance at the table of contents on the page opposite this one), and you’ll see a range of artists from varying backgrounds creating art that’s wholly their own. Take, for a first instan e, Sean Starwars, a Laurel-based printmaker who mixes his love of pop and skateboarding cultures with woodcutting to craft colorful and offbeat prints Starwars’ art is nothing like that of Mooreville music teach Chad Watson’s. Watson uses his classroom to teach students the technical skills needed to play music, of course. But he also delights in sharing the more intangible joys of making music – the “whys” that accompany the “hows.” And then there’s Chelsey George. Despite having no formal training in the arts, George finds joy in creating beautiful “m gnolia” blossoms using oyster shells from the Mississippi coastline and sharing them with people across the country. Like brushstrokes across a canvas, no two artists are exactly the same. Each has a unique story, and those stories fuel the passion to create equally unique art. It’s beautiful.

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GET SOCIAL WITH US! @mudandmagnolias @mudandmagnolias

If you have any thoughts about this issue, please email us at editor@mudandmag.com subscriptions@mudandmag.com advertising@mudandmag.com info@mudandmag.com mudandmag.com This magazine is a monthly publication of Journal Inc.

OUR STAFF CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Adam Armour, Editor; Shannon Johnson, Creative Director; David Johnson, Creative Team; Janey Shimp, Creative Team; Missha Mize, Sales Coordinator CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

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Dennis Seid

Blake Alsup

Meredith Biesinger

Eugene Stockstill

Thomas Wells

SALES TEAM June Phillips Teresa McDonald Danielle Daugherty Angie Quarles Leigh Knox Paul Fullerton Alana Glasco Lacey Page Rebecca Walker Tim Watson

Adam Robison

Chris Todd

MUSIC TEACHER SHARES PASSION FOR PERFORMANCE

Mooreville’s Chad Watson loves teaching his students how to play music. Even more than that, he loves teaching his students why they should play music.

A TRIP THROUGH TIME

Most of us know the story of “The Sword in the Stone.” But do you know the story of that story? We spoke with a local medievalist about the Arthurian tale and why it’s persevered.

40 16 On the cover: Tupelo artist Steven Schneider specializes in painting landscapes with an impressionistic edge. Cover photo by Thomas Wells. April 2025, Vol. 13 No. 6

FRAYED EDGES AND FINGERPRINTS

Inside this issue

Sean Starwars – yes, that’s his name – is a Mississippi artist who creates wholly unique, and just a bit offbeat, prints inspired by pop and skateboarding cultures. There’s nothing out there quite like it.

ART OF THE OCEAN

Chesley George of South Mississippi isn’t a trained artist, and yet every day, she creates unique and beautiful pieces using oyster shells pulled from the Mississippi coast.

ARTIST DRAWS INSPIRATION FROM DAILY LIFE, NATURE

PATRONS OF THE ARTS

The Velvet Chair Theatre Company and Recording Studio in Baldwyn is helping spread a love for the performing arts throughout the small town and beyond.

Steven Schneider of Tupelo has been painting for decades, and the sources of his inspiration are as varied as brushstrokes.

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THE ARTS

ISSUE – The impressionistic and surreal blend

with nature in the art of Steven Schneider.

– Mooreville music teacher Chad Watson

shares his knowledge and love of music with his students.

– A Mississippi medievalist breaks down

the classic story of King Arthur and the sword in the stone.

– Sean Starwars makes offbeat art that draw

inspiration from pop and skateboard cultures.

– The story of rockabilly music is filled wit chapters about the city of Saltillo.

– Pascagoula’s Chelsey George makes

“magnolia” blooms from oyster shells.

– The Velvet Chair Theatre Company bolsters the growing art scene in Baldwyn.

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Revealing

Truths

Story By Dennis Seid Photos By Thomas Wells

Steven Schneider

R Artist Steven Schneider draws inspiration from daily living, nature

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inged by trees on the 10-acre property he shares with his wife, Steven Schneider can simply take a peek from the studio he built next to their Colorado-inspired stone-and-wood home for inspiration. Stepping out onto the back porch with a commanding view overlooking the vast agricultural fields stretching below and in o the horizon, the clear turquoise of the pool is inviting, albeit it’s still a bit too cool to take a dip. “It’s beautiful out here, isn’t it?” he says. “See that cedar over there? I think I’ll paint that soon.” The setting is ideal for Schneider, who is in his element. At 70, he has an infectious enthusiasm. His eyes sparkle while describing some of his acrylic canvases. “I’ve been through an evolution ... mostly based on nature references,” he said “I tend to go back to landscapes. It’s a familiar thing. Growing up in south Louisiana, I’m greatly in love with nature. It feels good.” A pre-med major with a fine a t minor while in college, Schneider had a revelation while going through the rigors of his studies. While his 3.5 GPA was good, he didn’t have the passion for medicine. And his art was a constant companion. “I piddled in watercolor and this and that ... and I realized I wasn’t going to medical school,” he said. “The art people were so much more fun, and I blame music, too, since I play a little.” After graduating from the University of Louisiana, he was associated with a gallery in Lafayette, and it didn’t take long for one off his pain ings to capture the interest of a buyer. “The gallery called and said, ‘Somebody’s really interested in your painting and wants to meet you and talk about it,’” he said with a sigh. That wasn’t something he was exactly thrilled to do. “My initial thought this would be easy. I could stay at home, do these pictures and these paintings and just send then to galleries, and they sell and they send me a check,” he said. “It never really worked out that way.”

Eventually, he overcame his own hesitation to meet and greet his potential buyers. ‘I realized later on that more and more people want to engage with you, the process, what you’re all about, and in most cases it’s a personal thing if they’re going to purchase,” he said. “I’m OK with that after 40 years of doing that.”

Planting the seed

Schneider tapped into his affinity for the creative p cess starting at an early age. “I drew like so many artists, and started drawing as a kid, and discovered I had an aptitude,” he said. “I remember in the fourth grade, I was out on the playground drawing, and the teacher put my piece up and asked, ‘Who did this?’” That drawing, a house, planted a seed that has blossomed into a career that now finds his a twork viewed and purchased from Oxford Treehouse Gallery in Oxford, Fischer Galleries in Ridgeland, Justus Fine Art in Hot Springs, and Greg Thompson Fine Art in Little Rock.

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He has been inspired by a range of artists – Georges Braque, the founder of Cubism; Van Gogh and his colorful impressionism; surrealists like Salvador Dali, Max Ernst and Marcel Duchamp; the abstract expressionism of Han Hofmann and the graphic styles of Andy Warhol and Franz Klein; and others. After earning a fine a ts degree, Schneider studied advertising design and went into business with his brother. He later opened an ad agency, but after two years, his urge to paint was greater than ever. He wanted to be seen. “All along I was doing my art and painting, and so what I would do was keep contacting galleries and do my art,” he said. “So, when I left the ad agency, it was just me. I would do an advertising piece get some money to get some chick-

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ens to throw in the freezer, buy some canvases go paint, have an art show, sell a few pieces and go back and forth between graphic design and painting. So, I guess I’ve been doing that since the age of 25.” And he was no starving artist. “I always managed to eat. Advertising paid the steady money,” he said. One person who took interest in Schneider was his wife, Cynthia, who he met at a charity event in Lafayette, some 22 years ago. She was intrigued when she first heard about him “I’d always heard about this very elusive, hidden away artist, a total man of mystery,” she said. Cynthia owned a restaurant at the time, and the couple later moved to Donaldsonville, Louisiana, in 2004,

where they opened the Schneider Art Gallery and Grapevine Cafe and Gallery and often held events together. “It was really neat,” Steven Schneider said. “Have a little wine, a little art. It really paired well.”

Schneider’s style

Schneider’s art can’t be put in a single box, given his various influen es. He describes himself as being “compelled to observe and document daily living.” He said he draws inspiration from both the “natural and spiritual realms.”

His interest in plein air forms a base for his landscapes, with planar shapes combined with realistic impressions. “I did plein air painting for a while, and it’s something I really enjoyed I have a lot of plein air friends but realize there are thousands of them, and I’m just OK,” he said. “Within the past four years, I’ve tried to push a little more unique and personal.” A painting he’s working on is inspired by the natural beauty of the Ozarks in northwest Arkansas, where the Schneiders lived for a decade before moving

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to Tupelo last year. This particular piece is an homage to the Lost Valley Trial in the Buffalo ational Forest, the most popular hike in the Ozarks. With sheer rock faces, flowing wa er and a forested landscape, the trail is being interpreted by Schneider with the blue of the sky, the brown shadowed rock and the green trees playing off each othe . Some of his paintings are referenced by photographs, and with his graphic designer skills, he’s learned to manipulate the shapes and colors in order to get it to where he wants to be with his paintbrush. “I’ve done oil, watercolor, 3-D assemblies. Acrylic works for me. I’ve gotten to the point where I can develop colorizations that mimic texture and depth,” he said. Another landscape – called simply, Trace – is inspired by the Natchez Trace. It recently hung at the GumTree Muse-

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um of Art in Tupelo, and it speaks to his use of light and shadow. “The colors just sizzle off each othe ,” Schneider said. “After years of studying art theory and plein air outdoor painting, no longer are all the shadows dark and there’s just not much light ... now the shadows are luminous. “I like the light and focusing on an area where everything else sort of contributes to the lit areas,” he added. “You want people to look at a painting and go, ‘Wow, that’s cool.’ I keep wanting to get to that point where people are compelled to look at it and say, ‘Wow, for some reason, I really enjoy looking at it.’” Schneider also has surrealistic paintings like a fir works stand that caught his eye after a wedding, or a series of paintings of antique vehicles from a junkyard. What he paints is what he would want to hang in his own home, “Things that are cool and intrigue me.”

“

My focus for image making is to interpret and communicate more effectively, while my goal is to reveal some truth that initiates interaction and conversations.”

For example, there is a 60-by-60 painting of his Martin guitar which he admits is for a very specific audien e. Retirement is just a word, not a vocation, but he is trying to be “sort of retired.” However, he also feels like he has a lot more time to devote to painting. “My focus for image making is to interpret and communicate more effective y, while my goal is to reveal some truth that initiates interaction and conversations,” he said. M

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Mo o re vil l e m u s ic te a ch er s h ares p as s io n fo r pe r fo rm an c e wit h s tu d en ts

STORY BY MEREDITH BIESINGER • PHOTOS BY THOMAS WELLS

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Chad Watson

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This page: Mooreville music teacher Chad Watson plays music alongside Same of his students.

very day, Chad Watson tries to impart his students with his deep love for music. From local stages in Tupelo to his Mooreville Trooper classroom, Watson’s passion for his work and dedication to his students shines through in every note. “I can honestly say I love my job,” Watson said. Formally, that job would be as director of chorale at both Mooreville middle and high schools. But, alongside a variety of other projects, he also teaches nine-week courses in piano and guitar at the high school, something uncommon for most high schools across the Magnolia State. One day each week after school, Watson offers the ooreville Trooper Guitar Club for students in third through 11th grades. He lovingly refers to this as “one big rock band class.” During this time, he teaches a variety of students drums, guitar,

keyboard, vocals, bass, and electric guitar. They all play together, and when they do, it indeed sounds like one big, raucous rock band. As a former elementary music teacher, Watson has a reputation for making music fun for everyone and providing all students with opportunities to play various instruments while learning about different genres of music. is classroom has always been more than just a lesson plan; it’s an entire musical experience. Watson’s desire to stoke a passion for music within his students comes from deep within. Growing up, he always wanted to play music and be a performer but realized that it can often be difficult o do that alone. When he reached college age, he attended the University of Southern Mississippi. That’s where he found his calling.

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Watson performs with several of his students 34

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“Several of my peers were majoring in education and minoring in performance so they could teach and perform,” he said. “This really appealed to me because it was, and is, the best of both worlds.” With a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from USM, Watson began his teaching career in 2006 at Oak Grove Middle School in Hattiesburg. A Tupelo native, Watson and his family moved back to North Mississippi in 2015. “We wanted to move back home and be closer to family, but I’ll always be a Southern Miss fan,” Watson shared. Passionate about engaging his students and the community, Watson has given his students several opportunities to perform inside and outside the school. His high school students often play music at Generations Senior Living in Saltillo, and his after-school club has performed at Fairpark and “Chad Watson’s Mooreville Trooper Night” at Blue Canoe. “Providing students with opportunities to perform for others gives people a chance to see their effo ts and investments pay o ,” Watson stated. “Plus, performing music instills confiden e

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in kids and gives them a sense of friendship and bonding.” Most recently, Watson has spearheaded a Unified usic Club, a testament to his commitment to inclusivity and belief that music is for everyone. This club gives Mooreville students with special needs the opportunity to get involved and fall in love with music, further fostering a sense of community. To Watson, teaching music isn’t about creating the next generation of band directors, choral instructors or symphonic orchestra members; it’s about sharing the love of music with others. “Music gives students lifelong skills and can always be a part of their life,” Watson said. “Traditional music education is not for everybody. Only some students will be interested in choir or band. That’s why connecting all students to the music they get daily is important. This provides a whole experience for them. “Music is so big, we don’t want to limit our student’s opportunities,” he said. “We want to expand them.” M

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A Trip By Eugene Stockstill

“The Lord of the Rings” journeyed back into the public consciousness 20 years ago. Last year, the sands of Arrakis in Frank Herbert’s immortal “Dune” drew the attention of scifans around the world with a new big-screen adaptation. But ask a hundred readers to name the greatest work of imaginative fiction, and you’d hear “The Once and Future King” more than once. It is a collection of fantasy novels by T. H. White about the legend of King Arthur. The title refers to a legend that Arthur will one day return as king. White’s grand retelling of Arthurian legends gives fans of sword and sorcery everything they could want in an adventure. With that in mind, we asked an expert to walk with us through “The Sword in the Stone,” part one of White’s opus. Oxford-born (that would be Oxford, Mississippi … not Oxford, England)

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medievalist Dr. Jonathan Randle, dean of humanities at Mississippi College, recently sat down with us to recount the popular Arthurian tale of Excalibur and share some of his thoughts on what’s embedded this classic tale in the public consciousness as firm y as the titular sword in its titular stone. His analysis is printed in red. “The Sword in the Stone” opens with two boys, Kay (the older) and Wart (the younger), on a hunt in old England. Kay has taken a raptor along with them, and during the hunt, the bird escapes. Wart ventures into the forest to find the creature, on y to encounter a far stranger one: Merlin the wizard, who ages backward (born in the future, aging through the past). More philosopher than magician, Merlin also has the power to travel through time, disappear at will and change the substance of living beings. Merlin agrees to be Wart’s teacher. Merlin’s character is a literary construct; there is no historical basis for the fi ure,” Randle said. “That said, there are plenty of sources for Merlin’s character, including the priest-king or shaman tradition in the ancient Near East, the idea of the wise older counselor – think Obi

Wan Kenobi or Mr. Myagi – the Celtic bard and soothsayer – a close analogue to Merlin is found in the early Welsh poet Myrddin – even the biblical prophets. Merlin, as a figure, omes rather late to the party. He doesn’t show up in a form analogous to White’s wizard until the first half of the 12t century, when Geo rey of Monmouth, an Anglo-Norman, writes about Merlin in his “History of the Kings of Britain.” Geo rey’s Merlin has the gifts of prophecy and foresight and thus is able to provide counsel and advice to several kings: Vortigern, a universal baddie in Arthurian tradition, Uther and Arthur. In fact, without Merlin’s clandestine interference, as Geo rey presents the record, there would be no King Arthur. Merlin is responsible for Arthur’s conception (under dubious circumstances) as well as his identification s successor to Uther (under equally dubious circumstances). Geo rey wrote two prequels, “The Prophecies of Merlin” and “The Life of Merlin,” and inspired later chroniclers and storytellers. White makes Merlin the absent-minded professor living life in reverse.

Through Time Merlin trains Wart by allowing him to experience life as different animals. Wart morphs into a member of a warlike, rather mindless, army of ants and almost loses his life in a full-scale ant war. He flies through the air and dis overs a marvelous camaraderie, not only with a talking owl named Archimedes, but also a large flock of wild geese, who liv a life of freedom on a sea-swept beach. He swims through water as a fish, the transforms into a badger. Along the way, Wart learns political and cultural lessons about feudal Europe. Feudalism was quite complex. It was dominated by the monarchy and the church, but the system reached into the everyday lives of almost everybody. Probably the easiest way to think about feudalism is by analogy to both the modern pyramid scheme and the idea of sharecropping or tenant farming. The mechanism of feudal society was constructed on a wide base (the serfs and peasants of medieval Europe), and each successive step up the socio-economic ladder (freemen, landowners, lower and upper aristocracy, monarchy) involved both a contraction of population and an expansion of wealth and landowning.

While exploitative and repressive, the (system’s) infrastructure, public works and protection were stabilizing and beneficial. This idea of mutual political and economic obligation could certainly be abused, but similar systems existed in the ancient world and continue to exist. There are many similarities with some aspects of communism. But especially with a benevolent lord, a manor’s population could very easily, though perhaps sporadically, enjoy a quality of life that city-dwellers never could. Kay and Wart later wander into the forest again and slowly fin themselves surrounded by strange folk dressed in forest colors who move in near-silence. Their leader is none other than Robin Hood, or as he is identifie by his men, Robin of the Wood. Robin; his lady fair, Marian; and the “merry men” treat Kay and Wart with kindness, then draft them into another adventure. The boys storm a castle and rescue people kidnapped by a magical being who can only be overpowered by innocent souls and the presence of steel. Then, the magic castle, made entirely of food, melts into non-existence, and the whole group must battle a gri (half-eagle, half-lion).

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If a figure e could call Arthur existed at all, he undoubtedly lived during the period of the Saxon invasion sometime in the fifth entury after the fall of the Roman empire. Thus to have a young Arthur interacting with a mature Robin is a stroke of genius on White’s part, both because it reiterates some of the narrative anachronisms that infuse White’s tale and because it is representative of the larger Arthurian tradition. If Robin Hood existed, then he seems to have been a yeoman or a freeman, perhaps a landowner, but not an aristocrat, who went rogue and lived as a huntsman, gathering a group of followers and pushing back against some of the so-

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cio-economic oppression of the lower classes. The figure of obin Hood exists exclusively in the popular ballad and poetic tradition. The earliest mentions of Robin date from the fourteenth century, with fully developed tales not occurring until the fif eenth century at the close of the medieval period. Maid Marian in the Robin Hood tradition was independent, assertive and strong, resisting suitors who might attempt to woo her away from her true love (Robin, of course) and (possibly) representing the Virgin Mary. Her maternal presence among Robin’s merry men, almost like Wendy among the Lost Boys of Barrie’s “Peter Pan,” was present as early as the sixteenth century in plays and narratives. The Victorian fascination with medieval England, along with late 19th century gender expectations, meant that the softer, more maternal Marian became the dominant side of her character. White pushed back against that trend and recaptured something of the reality of a diverse presentation of

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femininity in the Middle Ages. One need only think of Chaucer’s “Wife of Bath.” As the story draws to a close, the knighthood of Kay approaches, coinciding with a major sporting contest in London. So, a group from the castle journeys to London for Kay to be knighted and to take part in the sport. But before this happens, a glorious feast takes place, with an abundance of rich foods, liquor, music, singing and speeches. It is one of several scenes contradicting popular assumptions about the Middle Ages. Our contemporary culture has tended to connect the term medieval with a violent, barbaric lack of sophistication. Medieval culture was highly developed and both intellectually and culturally sophisticated. The power vacuum created in Europe after the fall of Rome meant that there was a great deal of instability as kingdoms attempted to reassert the level of stability and sophistication that the empire had allowed. Early medieval Europe was perhaps less politically stable and therefore less culturally productive. But to refer to the period as “the dark ages” ignores the many contributions and cultural expressions that medieval inquiry made. Eyeglasses, the compass and the printing press, artistic and cultural expressions such as ornate stone carvings, manuscript illuminations and cathedrals, even modern political and educational realities such as the right of habeas corpus and the university: All of these find their origins in medi val Europe. And while most classes of society were, even as late as the 15th century, illiterate and unschooled, there was nevertheless an amazing capacity for public, shared memory. In a public performance of a song or poetic text, early medieval audiences could be expected to remember slight references and aural echoes from scores (if not hundreds) of lines earlier. Their capacity to hear and to remember what

they had heard was practically superhuman, especially compared to most public forums today, including the university classroom. Education for the masses was far more implicit, informal and practical. You would learn a trade from your father or a skill from your mother or you would be apprenticed to a tradesman. The broad spectrum of entertainment available to the various classes in medieval Europe – whether peasant or aristocrat – assumed a degree of sensitivity to wordplay, humor and wit that is largely lost in modern culture. Of course there were always other forms of entertainment. The calendar was punctuated by feasts for the aristocracy and occasionally for the lower classes. All classes enjoyed the revels of, say, a May Day celebration. Drinking, dancing and games (such as quoits/ring toss, draughts/checkers, nine men’s morris/tic-tac-toe) were popular among the lower classes, and sports occupied some of the public consciousness. The big day in London arrives, and Kay discovers that he has forgotten his sword. Wart, who is Kay’s squire, goes back to the London inn where they have been staying to fetch the sword, only to find the in locked. Wart searches for another sword and finds one stuc in an anvil that is stuck in a stone that sits in a church courtyard. Wart pulls the sword out and takes it to his family, only to discover that he has done the unthinkable. Written on the sword: “Whoso pulleth out this sword of this anvil and stone is rightwise king born of all England.” Wart is in fact the famous King Arthur, the illegitimate son of the now-dead king of England, Uther Pendragon. “The king is dead! Long live the king!” (The phrase “once and future king” refers to the part of

the legend that promises good Arthur will one day return to rule again.) There are some slight echoes between the literary characters of Uther and Arthur and what we might call more historical figures. ther, for instance, shares a number of similarities with Tewdrig, a sixth-century king and martyr in southern Wales, in terms of both his military career and his death. The trail of Arthur has been researched for decades, if not centuries. The early attempts at connecting the literary Arthur with the historical tradition identified the fictional king with figure named Ambrosius Aurelianus, who was described by a Welsh monk named Gildas as a Romano-British freedom figh er who resisted the Saxon invasions in the fifth entury. Late medieval England was not immune to the historical Arthur craze, with his supposed burial site unearthed during excavations at the Lady Chapel of Glastonbury Abbey. Speculative

historians in the 20th century have come up with more unorthodox suggestions, perhaps the most intriguing of which involves a Roman centurion, prefect and governor of the third century named Lucius Artorius Castus. A theory from the 1970s suggested that Artorius serves as the prototype for Arthur, having during his military career in Rome amassed a loyal following of Sarmatian cavalry from a nomadic equestrian people group who possibly were conscripted into Roman service themselves who served as the prototype for Arthur’s table of knights. A modern take on this academic theory has been popularized in film i Antoine Fuqua’s “King Arthur.” Much of the literary tradition of King Arthur has become so muddled with anachronisms and the telescoping of history that it is impossible to separate a fifth- entury sub-Roman leader from the characters of story and film who ear plate armor, wield crossbows, swing long swords and joust in tournaments, none of which were current in the fifth entury. M

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FRAYED EDGES

& Fingerprints

Imperfection in artwork is what makes Sean Starwars’ work his own STORY BY BLAKE ALSUP • PHOTOS BY ADAM ROBISON

Sean Starwars at work in his studio

n keeping with the tradition of the German expressionists of the early 20th century, woodcut printmaker Sean Starwars embraces imperfection in artwork. The frayed edges and fingerprints are what ma e the work his own. “Printmaking is very precise, process-oriented, particular and kind of painstaking,” said Starwars, who adopted the unique moniker during his time as a collector of Star Wars memorabilia in the late 1980s. “That’s not me at all. Most printmakers would have a heart attack just seeing day-old ink out.” He certainly doesn’t deliberately try to do things the wrong way. And yet, “every part of what I do is 10% wrong,” he said. It just comes natural for Starwars, a member of the Outlaw Printmakers, a collective of printmakers who forged their own path through the world of art. “There’s a lot of built-in inconsistency that shows up in the

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finished print,” Sta wars said. “You could be very deliberate about how the marks support your image. There’s so many ways to do it, but it all just shows up in the work, and I love that.” His own brand of pop expressionism Growing up in Virginia, Starwars didn’t think of himself as an artist. It was during high school, in the early 1980s, that he began skateboarding. “You’re surrounded by creative energy,” Starwars said of the culture. “The fashion, the music, the energy, the activity itself, just the group of people – it was like, ‘This is something else, and I want to be a part of it.’” As skateboarding became grew in importance to him, Starwars was drawn to the work of Neil Blender, a skateboarder and artist who designed his own skateboard

graphics for Gordon and Smith Skateboards (G&S). Blender’s art was the impetus for Starwars to begin drawing. Another skateboarder, Chris Miller, designed woodcut skateboard graphics for G&S, and the style really caught Starwars’ eye. They were bold black-and-white graphics with none of the buildup of pencil drawings or the range of paintings. “I was beginning to learn that it was kind of analogous to what the German expressionists were doing, especially with their woodcuts,” Starwars said. “Those guys, right around the turn of the century ... they’re the same age as these skateboarders. They’re these young crazy guys. If skateboarding existed back then, half of them would’ve been skateboarders. It was the same energy and the same kind of imagery.

“I was like, ‘This is way bigger than a skateboard graphic,’” he added. “And that’s what got me into printmaking, or into making woodcuts specifica ly.” The Laurel-based artist has blended that influen e with pop culture to create his own brand of pop expressionism. Starwars earned a Master of Fine Arts in printmaking from Louisiana State University, and his big break came while he was a student there and submitted a couple of work samples to the Southern Graphics Council International conference. One of them was a 1996 piece called “Frankenberry vs. the Klan,” depicting the monster on General Mills’ Franken Berry cereal box holding a bag bearing the words “Think Pink” while riding a bicycle past hooded Ku Klux Klan members holding various objects, including a sign reading, “Monster Go Home.” A few days after the conference, Starwars received an answering machine message from his biggest influen e in printmaking, woodcut artist Tom Huck, who he regards as “the greatest living relief printmaker.” Huck told him that everyone at the conference loved the print, and he invited Starwars to contribute to a portfolio project he was putting together. “That phone call changed my entire world,” Starwars said. “For years, every opportunity I had was directly because of that connection.”

Guided by Voices and Mountain Dew A beautiful thing about printmaking, Starwars said, is that each artist truly has their own style, a distinct way of mark-making that gives their work recognizability.

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Starwars tends to draw directly onto the wood – almost always Baltic Birch, sometimes Japanese Shina – before digging into the wood’s surface with a chisel to make cuts. Upon completing a woodcut, he rolls ink onto it, lays paper over the top and runs it through a press to transfer the image and create a print. Virtually every woodcut Starwars has done since graduate school has been made to the soundtrack of Guided by Voices, his favorite band. “I’ve never made anything that didn’t have Guided by Voices going through it,” Starwars said. Lead singer Robert Pollard is one of Starwars’ two greatest artistic influen es outside of printmaking. The other is poet and novelist Charles Bukowski, less a result of relating to the themes in Bukowski’s work than to his work ethic. Paraphrasing Bukowski, Starwars said, “You’re only a writer when you’re writing.” “I’m not writing, but I’m a printmaker when I’m making,” he added.

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Whether he gets started at 5 a.m. or stays up working to that hour, his work is also fueled by caffeine in various forms “Since I was 15, when I started working, I pretty much have not had a day where I didn’t have at least three Mountain Dews, and some days where I would have 15,” Starwars said. Due to the high sugar content, he’s switched to Diet Dr. Pepper, though his love for Mountain Dew remains.

Still driven by skateboarding – and a million other things After years creating art while making ends meet as a teacher and other roles to provide for his wife and their five children Starwars has worked full time as an artist for a few years now. All these years later, Starwars still visualizes his work on a skateboard deck. “I hold it to that standard of what a skateboard graphic should look like in my head, like the things that I love,” Starwars said. His work is representative of his personal energy, and he takes great pride in the use of color to make his pieces pop.

“I expect that, if I’m in a group exhibition, my thing’s going to take over a wall because of color,” Starwars said. Another principle central to his art is work ethic – the ability to produce new art day after day. “I did ‘Frankenberry vs. the Klan’ in 1996, and you could say it’s the best thing I ever made. I hope it’s not, but a lot of people, that would be their favorite print, that would be the one thing that they know,” Starwars said. “I was making stu just about every day before then, and I’ve been making stu just about every day for the 30 years since then. That’s the part that I know not everybody can do.” From animals to robots and monsters, a variety of objects and characters are incorporated into the images Starwars creates. He still loves the same things he did when he was 8 years old, along with a million more new things.

Whether it’s social media, his website or exhibitions, Starwars will never make something and keep it facedown, out of public view. He’s developed a following of more than 115,000 people on Instagram and nearly 85,000 on TikTok where he shares his art. “I know it’s going to be put out there in the world, however small that world is,” Starwars said. The essence of Starwars’ work goes beyond a collection of individual woodcuts. It’s every curling scrap of wood lying on the floo , every drip of ink on his worktable, every design pressed into paper and fabric. It’s a lifetime. “There’s no end,” he said. “Like, I’m never going to make something that’s, ‘OK good, I’ve reached the end. I can stop.’” M

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THE

STORY BY MEREDITH BIESINGER

FROM FIDDLER PLAYERS TO KINGS, THE TOWN OF SALTILLO SHAPED MUSIC AS WE KNOW IT Believe it or not, the small town of Saltillo has a big musical legacy. Saltillo has left an indelible mark on the history of music. Its influen e, particularly on bluegrass music, is not just signi cant, but profound. The music we know today would have been vastly different without Salti lo’s unique contributions, especially in the genre of rockabilly and bluegrass. A LITTLE FIDDLE MUSIC Merle Taylor, known as “Red,” is a Saltillo native and a pioneer of the bluegrass genre. A fiddle player who ventually left his home in Northeast Mississippi for the country music mecca, Nashville, it’s been said that Taylor’s unique sound reshaped bluegrass into its current form. It wouldn’t be hyperbole to say we would not have the bluegrass music we have today if not for Merle Taylor. Taylor’s style was part blues, part rockabilly. It’s a style that caught the ear of Bill Monroe, known as the “Father of Bluegrass,” who adopted Taylor as one of his regular fiddle players In his 2000 biography “Can’t you Hear Me Callin’: The Life of Bill Monroe, Father of Bluegrass,” historian Richard D. Smith wrote about a melody Taylor composed became one of Monroe’s most beloved songs. “One day, fiddler ed Taylor composed an engaging melody in the key of A, its ascending and descending lines similar to the traditional tune ‘Gray Eagle,’” Smith wrote. “But the second part leaped into a sit-up-and-take-notice subdominant D chord.” Monroe later simplified this melody and tu ned it into one of his biggest hits.

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According to Smith’s book, “By his next session, on October 15, 1950, Monroe had set words to Red Taylor’s tune and created his own tribute to a fiddler • ‘ ncle Pen.’ It became one of his most requested songs.” Despite his undeniable contribution to Monroe’s catalogue of classic music, Taylor wasn’t credited as one of the song’s writers (a habit which earned Monroe no shortage of legal trouble during his career). Still Red’s legacy, marked by his unique bowing technique, continues to inspire and impress fiddlers. Taylor’s influen e extends beyond his collaborations with Paul Howard, Cowboy Copas, and Hank Williams, and his time with Monroe’s Blue Grass Boy. His legacy lives on through his music and his family, many of whom still live in Saltillo.

SISTERS IN SONG

Taylor wasn’t the only musician to call Saltillo home. The 1950s also saw the emergence of Saltillo natives The Miller Sisters. Despite their stage name, the Miller Sisters weren’t sisters by blood. Elsie Jo Wages and Mildred Miller were, in fact, sistersin-law. Elsie Jo was married to Mildred’s elder brother Roy Miller, who accompanied them on guitar. As the Miller Trio, they worked around their hometown of Saltillo and eventually auditioned for Sun Records in 1954 at the suggestion of a DJ on Tupelo-based WTUP. The two girls impressed Sam Phillips with the honesty and clarity of their harmonies. A recording session was arranged for March 14, 1955, which resulted in the single “Someday You Will Pay”/”You Didn’t Think I Would,” issued on Flip 504. Backing musicians in-

TOP LEFT: cover of a box containing postcards with images of Elvis Presley TOP RIGHT: the record label for The Miller Sisters’ “There’s No Right Way to Do Me Wrong” BOTTOM LEFT: the album cover for The Miller Sisters’ “Ten Cats Down,” published by Sun Records BOTTOM RIGHT: the cover of Elvis Presley’s eponymous 1956 debut album

cluded Stan Kesler, Quinton Claunch, Bill Cantrell and Charlie Feathers. Although “You Didn’t Think I Would” was credited to Roy Miller, it was actually written by Jo and Millie in Roy’s car on the way back from a local gig. The Miller Sisters and their clean harmonies were beloved, but their careers never catapulted. However, Sam Phillips liked the sisters so much that they sang background music for hundreds of songs for artists such as Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis.

DOODLEBUG CONNECTIONS

Saltillo played a pivotal role in shaping the career of the legendary Elvis Presley. Although obviously better known for his connection to neighboring Tupelo, the King of Rock ‘n Roll’s deep roots in Saltillo, with family members born and buried here, underscore the city’s significan e in his life. Saltillo is not just a footnote in Elvis’ story; it’s a significant chap er. Presley’s grandparents lived on Old Saltillo Road, and the future rock and roll legend would often take the Doodlebug from East Tupelo to Saltillo and walk to his grandparents’ house to visit. Roadways and transportation played a significant rol in the lives of musicians and their time spent in Saltillo.

Musicians from the area would get on the Doodlebug train, a small passenger train that went from city to city. The Doodlebug cost 10 cents to ride and spent 30-45 minutes at each stop. Saltillo’s accessibility, thanks to the first p ved highway in the south, Highway 45, made it a popular stop for musicians. Many artists traveled through Saltillo for their gigs, and the Gulf Mobile and Ohio railroads’ stops in Saltillo further enhanced the town’s appeal. Musicians often caught the train from Meridian, making Saltillo a major stop in their musical journeys. “In the 1920s and 1930s, every prominent musician in the world fil ered through Saltillo at some point,” said Dale Rushing, a Saltillo resident and local historian. “It’s amazing to think about the number of artists who have come through Saltillo and the city’s contributions to musical influen e.” More recently, Saltillo has been home to Drew Poppelreiter, a Top 24 American Idol contestant, country performing artist Auburn McCormick, and local social media sensations Brady Brazeal and Cal Caldwell. Follow the Rockabilly Way sign to Saltillo, where music lives. M

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Art

LIFE IS ART

Story By Meredith Biesinger Photos By Chris Todd

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Chelsey George makes oyster shell magnolias and pumpkins at her home studio. 52

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Pascagoula’s Chelsey George creates magnolia blooms from oyster shells

n the early weeks of 2019, Chelsey George accidentally created a beautiful magnolia from oyster shells. This changed the trajectory of her life. It was a happy accident, to be sure. What was supposed to be a pumpkin became Chelsey George’s signature art piece, a symbol of her resilience and creativity, which she would later develop into a series of unique, stunning artworks. The Pascagoula native has always been artistic. Growing up, she often found herself on the receiving end of lectures for doodling on papers in school, and she had difficulty focusing on academic “Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast when I was in 10th grade, and it impacted everything, including me,” she said. “After that, I had a wild hare and dropped out of high school in 2007. I wish I would have known what I know now – I needed a creative outlet. That would have helped me tremendously.” George and her husband, Les George, Head Football Coach for Southwest Community College, have been married for 17 years and have three daughters. “I had our first daugh er in 2009. I feared that I would not live up to what I needed to do or be as a mother,” she said. “It consumed me, but it also put things into perspective for me.”

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Struggling with depression, George’s mother showed up on her doorstep in 2018 with a bucket of oyster shells and gave her some advice: Do something you love. George began making Christmas ornaments from oyster shells in 2018 and created her first m gnolia flo er in 2019. The process of creating these unique magnolias involves a meticulous 12-step process, from selecting the perfect shells to painting and assembling them into a stunning piece of art. “I created a pumpkin and realized it looked like a magnolia. In 2020, I spent time detailing the magnolias,” George said. “I wanted to make them personal to me, so people would recognize my work when they saw it.” 2020 was also the year of the COVID-19 pandemic. “This was one of the hardest years for many, myself included,” George said. “It wasn’t just about being alone; it was about being alone with myself. In 2020, I got completely sober. It was like I was placed in front of a mirror with all my flaws an insecurities. I never wanted my daughters to think that’s all I did for fun, so I replaced poor habits with art and created a path back to myself.” With her oyster magnolias gaining popularity, George decided to learn to paint. “I learned to paint at ‘YouTube University,’” she said. “I studied everything from how artists held their brushes to various techniques, and then I began painting what I loved.” George’s prints are beloved by Mississippians as they represent places that are meaningful to them, just as they are to her.

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From the streets of Pascagoula to the Bayou and the Mississippi Sound, her art is created with a deeply personal touch, and it is purchased with intention, just as she would have it. One of her most popular paintings is entitled “Slab Party,” which represents how kids would hang out on each other’s “slabs” after Hurricane Katrina because their homes were no longer standing. “I have learned the art of slowing down and loving where you’re at,” George said. “We have to be intentional.” George homeschools her three daughters, who are all artists, just like their mom. “My girls all share a creative mind, and I want to nurture them the way I wish my mind would have nurtured when I was in school,” she said. Chelsey George’s beautiful magnolias and paintings are on her social media pages and website. She creates everything out of her small dining room, showcasing that with passion and intention, anything is possible. “I’ve learned that art isn’t just painting, it’s passion,” George said. “Having a passion for anything is an artistic expression. Life is art.” M

Besides her unique “magnolia” blooms, George also creates pumpkins from oyster shells (top right) and paints (at left).

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PATRONS of the

R S A T

Story By Meredith Biesinger Photos By Adam Robison 56

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The Velvet Chair Theatre Company bolsters arts in Baldwyn

Velvet Chair owner Christa Bowens

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“

We must all do theatre to find out who we are and to discover who we could become.” ~Augusto Boal The Velvet Chair Theatre Company – led by Baldwyn native Christa Flint and her husband, Noah – is a place to gather for children and adults who love the arts. With their extensive experience in music and theatre, the group brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to their students. Christa owned a theatre company in Virginia, where she taught private music and theatre lessons. After nearly a decade in Virginia, she moved back to Baldwyn with the intention of a temporary sabbatical year while she and her husband applied to graduate school.

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With a bachelor’s degree in music education, Flint saw an opportunity to bring the arts back to Baldwyn and to be close to family. Her husband, a musician with a bachelor of arts in string performance, shared her passion. The couple saw a perfect opportunity to do what they love while being with people they love and inspiring others with their dedication to the arts. “When I came home, people asked me if I would start something in Baldwyn. My response was ‘no,’ but then everything came together, and it was just perfect timing,” Christa said. “My dad knows Erin Manny, who used to own this space. He told him he was trying to sell his recording studio and asked if he knew anyone who would be good at that.”

Her dad knew exactly who to recommend. “My dad excitedly said, ‘My kids would, and I’m trying to get them to stay here,’” Christa said. Christa and Noah Flint, along with her parents, James and Jessie Bowens, are now the proud owners of the theatre company and receding studio. This fi led a much-needed niche for kids who love the arts but don’t have access to lessons. And the rest, as they say, is history.

‘PATRONS OF THE ARTS’

The Velvet Theatre Company offers various music lessons including voice, piano, guitar, bass (both upright and electric),

drums, and woodwinds, and it also provides theatre camps. Their doors opened Jan. 4 this year, and they’ve already had their first official perform e, “101 Dalmatians.” “We are also providing an arts-based community activity to attend; even if people don’t want to participate, they can still attend and enjoy the show,” Christa said. “We had so many kids show up, excited to watch ‘101 Dalmatians.’ They were dressed up, with snacks in hand,” Flint exclaimed, “they all commented that they were so excited to see their first show! That warmed my heart.” Youth Theatre camps are for K-12 students and take place throughout the year. There are six productions to choose from,

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and students are placed in the role that works best for them. The camps teach students theatre terms and techniques. “We train our students and teach them everything they need to know before they perform,” Christa said. “Theatre provides students with additional knowledge like vocabulary words and learning about different cultures. We also teach everyone how to be a good patron of the arts.” The Velvet Chair Theater Company offers adult ommunity theatre productions with open-call auditions. Their latest show was the ever-popular classic Steel Magnolias. The recording studio portion, Velvet Chair Recording Studios, is set to open soon. It will be a place where musicians and podcasters can record. It’s another need the Flints and their theater company will fi l. “Everyone is traveling to Nashville,” Christa said. “We’re hoping they’ll come here to record a demo and experience all our studio has to offe .” The Velvet Theatre Company and Recording Studio are adorned with playbills and large velvet chairs accompanied by instruments in the front windows. Walking through the front doors, there’s a sense of community and creativity. “The community support has been tremendous, and many parents have expressed their gratitude, as access to music lessons in this area is often hard to find, Flint shared. “Kids love music, and they want to learn it, but there’s not always an outlet to find it. Of entimes, it may not be accessible or affordable for them. We are here to offer just that and pour bac into the Baldwyn community. ” Although the Red Velvet Theatre company has only been open for a few months, it already teaches students all day on Mondays and Wednesdays. With over 30 students, the company plans to offer additional days s it enrolls more students. “The arts benefit veryone,” Christa said. “It’s a great outlet, and sports are not for everybody. Although we have several students who do both, and that is wonderful. Our passion is to train and cultivate a love for the arts in children and adults. Arts and communication are skills that everyone needs.” M

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| More Information |

With a full calendar year of performances and lessons planned and several business sponsors, Christa Flint encourages everyone to visit The Velvet Chair Theatre Company’s social media pages and ebsites for all information.

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next month

Travel e h T

I S S U E

– Day Trips

– Travel features

– & much more! Coming this May

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Sanctuary Antiques............................................. page 3

Farmers and Merchants Bank.................... page 25

Backyard Pools....................................................... page 3

MegMed Health.................................................... page 25

Little’s Jewelers....................................................... page 4

4 Seasons Equipment Company............... page 25

Corner Gifts & Florist.......................................... page 5

Tommy Morgan Realtors...................... pages 26-27

The Cotton Bolt....................................................... page 5

Ripley Tourism...................................................... page 28

Reed’s.......................................................................... page 5

The Stone Yard...................................................... page 28

Mid South Nursery............................................... page 6

Core............................................................................. page 28

Brick & Spoon......................................................... page 6

City of Booneville................................................ page 29

Mt. Vernon Chapel................................................ page 6

Caron Gallery...........................................................page 61

Garner Millwork & Cabinets............................ page 7

Ivy Fence Company........................................... page 62

Bank Okolona........................................................... page 7

Southern Angel.................................................... page 62

Children’s Advocacy Center of Mississippi..... page 7

George’s Restaurant......................................... page 62

Brooks Grocery..................................................... page 10

Wages Sheet Metal............................................ page 62

The Lee Ann Shoppe........................................... page 11

The Meadows........................................................ page 62

Phillips Garden Center....................................... page 11

Adair Carpet........................................................... page 62

Oxford Home Furnishings................................ page 11

The Bead Shack................................................... page 63

Unity Bank of Mississippi............................... page 12

Pontotoc Antiques.............................................. page 63

Tupelo Small Animal Hospital...................... page 12

Varsity Vacuums.................................................. page 63

Keep It Casual........................................................ page 12

Pizza Factory......................................................... page 63

L. P. Britt..................................................................... page 13

Bill Benson.............................................................. page 63

Kellum Clinic........................................................... page 13

Tishomingo Manor............................................. page 63

Magnolia Brick....................................................... page 13

Tupelo Public School District....................... page 66

Coldwell Banker Southern Real Estate..... page 14

Magnolia Drugs.................................................... page 67

Tupelo Stone Company................................... page 24

North Mississippi Medical Services........ page 68

Hall’s Furniture Wholesale............................ page 24

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1757 HWY 178 W STE B MYRTLE, MS MON - FRI: 8:00A.M. - 6:00P.M. SAT: 8:00A.M. - 12:00P.M. NEW PATIENTS: 662-301-7936 CURRENT PATIENTS: 662-988-7030

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