HOPE

Dedicated to those who came before, blazing a trail for those who have followed.

Dedicated to the hope that we are blazing trails for those to come.

Only time will tell.

Surrounded by Wings (detail) Mary Hardy

This catalog accompanies the virtual exhibition “HOPE” November 1, 2020 - November 30, 2020 All images contained in this catalog are courtesy of the artists unless otherwise noted. ©2020, The Little Yellow Building, Brookhaven, MS All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including but not limited to photocopy, recording, or any other information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the curators and artists.

@TheLittleYellowBuilding

the EXHIBITION installed online at theLittleYellowBuilding.com

“I simply can’t build my hopes on a foundation of confusion, misery and death... I think... peace and tranquility will return again” - Anne Frank

HOPE is a collection of the thoughts and art created by Contemporary Mississippi Artists exploring the term and how differently it is interpreted through their eyes.

Lifetimes of experience and hardships cultivated each representation and opinion of hope on display.

As you make your way through the exhibition, you will discover a wide array of media and approaches. Each work is accompanied by the Artist’s information and links to discover more about the artist and their work. We encourage you to explore and fall in love with the Contemporary Artists of Mississippi.

Work that is listed with a price is available for purchase. Please follow the links provided to purchase the work directly from the artist. Artists retain 100% of the sale of their work and can give back a portion at their discretion. It is always our goal to put Artists first.

Convictions Cloak (full view) Lindsay Carraway

Co-Curator

LINDSAY CARRAWAY Vicksburg, MS

The feelings that we have during different stages of life can be crucial to the makeup of who we become as people in the world. A ballerina dances to become a young vixen, to a resilient form of strength.

How we cut up the pieces of what we like and what we need is all about the feelings that we carry within us and how we use what is leftover.

Based on the desire for what we want to accomplish in our lives, the stages of life are built on hope, and though lovely, it is a wish that is not always granted​ Convictions Cloak (detailed view) 42” x 75” mixed media on cloth 1500

“Hope is like shiny, sparkly glitter. It can be blown away and lost, but there will always be some lingering around stuck in the most random of places to bring joy back to life when you need to find it. “

- Lindsay Carraway

instagram @geezealouisea

Around 7 24.25” x 36” acrylic on canvas 2500

Co-Curator

DEREK COVINGTON SMITH Brookhaven, Mississippi

I feel like I am among the last of the generations that were raised on blind hope. Raised to believe that if you wish hard enough, you will have it all. Spoonfed that you could be anything regardless of circumstance, pedigree, or raw ability. The tragedy occurs when blind hope and reality collide.

I’ve watched the consequences.

I’ve experienced the consequences.

“Hope without a sense of reality can be deadly.”

- Derek Covington Smith

instagram @derekcovingtonsmith

Surrounded by Wings 25” x 29” mixed media on panel 650

Mary Hardy

Ocean Springs, Mississippi

Hope is being present for, and aware of whatever “lifts us up� those forces or influences; the realization that there are wings all around us.

maryhardystudio.com

instagram @maryhardyart

Quadrant 4 of the Sprite of Hado 16” x 20” mixed media on carved wood NFS

Tanner South Eupora, Mississippi

This quadrant of this carved into wooden panel has delivered unto me the experience of tranquil hope in which are (very) uncertain and anxious times. Working on its layered surrealism that I switch up by turning the board in different ways really gets my brain to work on different perspectives. That, along with mixing a saturated blacklight experience, has given me multiple realities to dive into with the same piece. The depth of those different perspectives gives me a tranquil sense of hope for my own reality.

facebook @tsouthart

instagram @chaosilus

Brothers 3’ x 6’ acrylic on 4 wood panels NFS

George-Dylan Brown

Hattiesburg, Mississippi

“The blood of battle is thicker than the water of the womb.� symbolizes the battles that bind us to each other eternally. We are brothers not by flesh, but by spirit. For there is nothing that can bring us closer like living, and dying together through each battle we face in life.

instagram @georgedylanbrownstudio

Sugared Hope 1488 x 1771 pixels digital collage NFS

Jennifer Row-Button

Byhalia, Mississippi

I find hope in creativity- in the way, I can change my mood just by making an image that takes my mind away from the challenges of everyday life and possibly brings a smile to someone else’s face by sharing it on Instagram. Therein lies a piece of my hope.

instagram @ghostboystudio

Vanishing 11 x 14 photography 125

Nicolette Brokaw

Vicksburg, Mississippi

Vanishing hope, quickly they can vanish.

There are 460,000 children that are reported missing each year. How many of them have lost hope?

instagram @nicloveswill

Rabbit on moss 11� porcelain doll slip cast from my own master sculpt NFS

Samantha Shannon Rodriguez

Perkingston, Mississippi

I avoided writing much on the subject of hope because I think it may be perceived as depressing when, in fact, I feel it’s freeing. Hope sometimes distracts from the peace of now. While hope is a powerful tool for others, it has never worked in my favor to hope, I become distracted and lost in my wants and wishes. I have learned to abandon hope in the most positive way. I do my best to presently steer my actions towards betterment. This is the best I could do to come up with a statement to accompany the piece. “The peace of nature just is, there is no concept of hope or the dreams of tomorrow, and that is beautiful to me.

Breathing in the stillness of the earth grounds to me to the present moment.�

instagram @poppiefox

“H” “O” “P” “E” (4) 5 x 7 mixed media 1000

Rhonda Rich

Brookhaven, Mississippi

Someone once said that art is the highest form of hope. Hope is an idea, a spiritual awakening, and it lightens the soul of everyone in our darkest moments.

We are in an eternal search for hopes meaning.

That feeling is expectation as we reach out to touch such an elusive object of our deepest desire. Hope.

The separate parts have no meaning without the whole and are not easily defined or even seen unless you search for it. We sometimes lose faith of ever finding what’s right in front of us and at our fingertips.

Can you find HOPE?

facebook @artistrhondarich

artistrhondabihmrich.com

Surrender

36” x 36” acrylic on canvas 950

Shanna NiCole Britt

Petal, Mississippi

When does hope arrive?

After the storm, or is it present in its fury?

My personal surrender to loss and hope that we all experience while we are on our knees from the storm of life. The very moment that loss and despair are exhaled, and hope is inhaled and fills the spirit.

In response to loss, and intended to find hope through the making. While painting this figure, my storm settled, and the shore was back to the steady waves that brought me comfort.

nicolebrittart.com

instagram @nicolebrittart

Libertatem 8� round stained glass NFS

Rob Cooper

Jackson, Mississippi

In a world full of symbols, the bird in flight is always a wonder to behold. Bluebirds embody a certain type of grace and beauty that, to me, is synonymous with hope and spirit.

instagram @robcooper_art

Hope Blossoms Wide 6’ x 4’ metal / found object sculpture 125

Isaac Pickett

Clinton, Mississippi

Beginning from nothing Nurture the growth Hope blossoms wide - Isaac Pickett

We all start from nothing, but with the proper guidance and nurturing, our creativity can bloom, which brings forth hope in a new day.

instagram @pickettspallets

Seed

8 x 13 acrylic on goose feather, silver embroidery thread, board 145

Elaine Maisel Ridgeland, Mississippi

We still have a chance to alter the current trajectory of climate change, but we must go beyond reducing our carbon output and sequester carbon that we’ve already put into the atmosphere. It’s time to plant the seed.

elainemaisel.com

instagram @elainemaisel

Bokeh and spider web on an old unused golf course 10 x 14 archival pigment print 325

Betty Press

Hattiesburg, Mississippi

Taking walks and working in my garden were the activities that kept me sane. We found magical places to walk that we didn’t even know existed in our community. We usually went out early in the morning to avoid the worst of the hot, humid southern summer temperatures. Nature here is lush and abundant, ready to help heal any stress or anxiety due to the uncertainty of the pandemic.

instagram @bettypress

Mississippi Landscape 65” H x 20” W x 16” D, found object / welded steel NFS

Earl Dismuke Oxford, Mississippi

I see the past in the old farm implements and the hard work of those that used them. I envision the families, the homes, the stories, and the livelihoods sowed into the land. This piece translates the beauty I find in these objects into the landscape of the state where I was born and raised. My goal with this piece was to create a composition that is full of optimism while hinting at the hardships of Mississippi’s past. One must have hope for the future harvest while cultivating the land.

earldismukeart.com

instagram @earl_the_artist

In the Garden 24 x 32 framed gouache on paper 1850

Martha Ferris Vicksburg, Mississippi

Our garden provides food for the body and the soul. I find hope in the seedlings rising from the ground, the tomato plants bearing fruit, and the bright blooms of the marigolds along with the profusion of other flowers and vegetables flourishing in the garden. This painting, In the Garden, celebrates the bounty of promise and hope that nature provides.

instagram @marthaferris

Sunshine 29.5 x 39.5 mixed media 1000

Anthony Sims Byhalia, Mississippi

Dedicated to Hannah Dimmitt. Our loved ones can provide us with hope when all other things seem to be chaotic.

Hannah and I have been through a world of adventures from 16-hour car rides to New York with no little more than a day’s notice to sleeping in her dad’s guest room until we could get on our feet as a couple.

Regardless of anyone’s life situation, our loved ones can provide us the hope we need to get back up and keep going.

asimsart.com

instagram & twitter @asimsart

Dream Corridor #4: “Taming the dream beast of fear” 5 1/2” x 9” x 3/4’” mixed media 250

Wendy Eddleman-Cooper Jackson, Mississippi

For anyone who has ever gone to sleep crying and awakened with renewed clarity, this is understood. That sometimes, hope can only be found in the realm of sleep. Here, the mind rests, solutions bubble to the surface and often a path through fear and conflict is revealed.

celadonpress.indiemade.com

instagram @wendyeddlemancooper @celadonpress

Hope 9 x 12 oil on canvas 600

Melissa Hedge Hattiesburg, Mississippi

Right now, there is so much fear and anger in our country. Many are disheartened, but not all hope is lost. It is a calming light in the darkness. It is a peaceful strength and helping hand to guide you out of that darkness. Do not lose faith. There is still hope.

mhedgeartstudio.com

facebook @mhedgeartstudio

instagram @she.creates.it

Thank you!

Thank you!

Thank you!

I will forever be grateful to the incredible artists who lent me their stories and creations without ever meeting. I hope this has been a good experience, and that the exhibition is something that makes you proud to be a part of. Thank you for trusting me.

Thank you to Lindsay Carraway, who, without ever meeting me, decided to take a leap and join me in this journey. Your friendship and guidance are invaluable, and I look forward to the future, knowing that you are in it.

Thank you to my family, friends, patrons, and God. Without you, there would be no Little Yellow Building.

Derek

About The Little Yellow Building Opened in 2018, The Little Yellow Building is the ever-evolving creative studio of Mississippi artist Derek Covington Smith. Created to serve as Smith’s personal painting studio, TLYB quickly grew to include classes, events, and various experiences that partons could enjoy.

When Covid-19 swept the nation, Smith found himself once again faced with an opportunity to shift with the tides and potentially fulfill another dream.

TLYB is finding its way to being a new type of platform for Contemporary Mississippi Artists. a platform built by artists for artists.