Mud & Magnolias April 2019 by Journal Inc

Mud&Magnolias April 2019

FASHION + THE ARTS Spring Fashion Catalog // Catherine Thoms Jewelry yaloRUN Textiles // Plein Air Painter Justin Treadaway

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The Future is Female

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CONTENTS

44 9

ALSO:

RECIPES

For this month’s recipes we went coconut crazy. We’ll show you three ways to use coconut with a zesty salmon dinner recipe, a blueberry coconut cocktail and a simple coconut poke cake.

CATHERINE THOMS

Tupelo resident Catherine Thoms has been making eclectic jewelry for years. Her colorful style and use of natural materials make her pieces one-of-a-kind.

YALORUN TEXTILES

Coulter Fussell has always been an artist, but her true love is quilting. She makes experimental quilts and textile art from her studio in Water Valley.

JUSTIN TREADAWAY

En plein air, a French term for painting outdoors, puts Union County artist Justin Treadaway at the forefront of his work. The Mississippi native loves to capture the world around him through his paintings.

SPRING FASHION

Animal prints, stripes, breezy dresses and bright colors are everywhere this spring. See looks from your favorite local retailers in our spring fashion catalog.

CALLAHAN & CO.

What began as a hobby has turned into a small business for Corinth’s Chandler Callahan. If you need something customized in hand-lettered calligraphy, she’s your girl.

NECK SCARVES

BEHIND THE PAINTING

MARY FRANCES MASSEY

DIY EMBROIDERED JEANS

April

2019

ON THE COVER Model Searcy Swain wearing the perfect summer dress from L.A. Green in Tupelo.

check out this month’s video where artist Cindy Aune talks about her work at mudandmag.com.

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EDITOR’S NOTE

Mud

READING The Cadaver King and The Country Dentist

WATCHING

love the feeling warmer weather brings. It ushers a pep in my step the winter days just don’t offer. I can’t really explain it, but I can’t be the only one because spring cleaning is a thing and I feel like that must mean something magical is in the air. I start another round of self-evaluation when the sun is up longer and I can feel the sun. I make plans for summer vacations; I purge my house for garage sale season; I start evaluating my landscape and what I will plant this year. Part of my process is looking at the fashion trends for the season and determining what I have and what I want to add to my closet. When doing research for this issue, we found animal prints are the new neutral and since I’ve been wearing leopard print since I was a sassy child, I’m excited and ready for this trend. Our catalog on page 44 is full of other hot items for every one in the family. In addition to fashion, we sit down and chat with cool artists like Mary Frances Massey (pg.34), who can often be found singing around town, and Justin Treadaway (pg.37) who paints the landscapes he is surrounded by.

Shrill

Patio dinners with friends

EATING

1242 S Green St. Tupelo, MS 38804 662.842.2611

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ellie Turner

ASSOCIATE EDITORS Lauren Wood Emma Kent Leslie Criss

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LOVING

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& Magnolias

If you have any thoughts about this issue, please email me at editor@mudandmag.com.

Leigh Knox June Phillips Darla Webb Angie Quarles Amber Lancaster Teresa McDonald Krystal Anderson

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS W. Derek Russell

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subscriptions@mudandmag.com advertising@mudandmag.com info@mudandmag.com mudandmag.com This magazine is a monthly publication of Journal, Inc.

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RECIPES

Coconut Cuisine

These recipes are all about using one ingredient three ways: Coconut. It can be sweet and creamy, or when combined with spices, a savory base for sauces. Find out which way you prefer to enjoy coconut with these three spring recipes.

Poached Salmon in Coconut Lime Sauce recipe on pg. 16

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RECIPES

Coconut Poke Cake recipe on pg. 16

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RECIPES

Coconut Blueberry Smash Drink recipe on pg. 16

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RECIPES POACHED SALMON IN COCONUT LIME SAUCE Ingredients: 4 skinless salmon fillets Salt and pepper 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 garlic cloves, finely grated 2 teaspoons ginger, finely grated Zest of one lemon 1 tablespoon brown sugar 1 teaspoon sriracha 14 ounces coconut milk 1 tablespoon soy sauce Zest of one lime Lime juice, to taste Fresh cilantro, finely chopped Rice noodles, cooked according to package directions Steamed Bok Choy Directions: Sprinkle both sides of each salmon fillet with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a nonstick pan or well-seasoned skillet over medium high heat. Add salmon and sear for just 1 1/2 minutes until golden. Turn salmon and cook the other side just for 1 minute, then remove and set aside (should still be raw inside). Turn heat down to medium low and allow skillet to cool. Heat remaining tablespoon of oil. Add garlic, ginger and lemon zest. Cook until garlic is just starting to turn golden brown, about one minute. Add brown sugar and cook for about 20 seconds until mixture begins to caramelize, then stir in sriracha. Add coconut milk and stir, scraping the bottom of the skillet to dissolve any bits stuck on the bottom into the sauce. Stir in soy sauce, increase heat to medium and simmer for 2 minutes. Place salmon into the sauce, lower heat and simmer gently for 4 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove salmon, stir in lime zest and juice to taste. Adjust salt to taste with soy sauce. Serve salmon over noodles. Spoon over sauce and garnish with fresh cilantro.

COCONUT POKE CAKE

COCONUT BLUEBERRY SMASH DRINK

Ingredients: 1 box white cake mix 3 large eggs 1 cup milk 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 small box coconut cream instant pudding 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 can cream of coconut 1 can sweetened condensed milk 8 ounces Cool Whip, thawed Sweetened coconut flakes

Ingredients: 1 handful of fresh blueberries 1.5 ounces vodka 1.5 ounces cream of coconut 1 ounce pineapple juice 1 ounce lemon juice ice (smashed and cubed) 1 ounce blueberry simple syrup

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-by-13 inch baking pan with cooking spray. Mix together the cake mix, eggs, milk, oil, instant pudding and vanilla until smooth. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 32-35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Mix the cream of coconut and sweetened condensed milk in a medium bowl. Poke holes in the hot cake with the round end of a wooden spoon and slowly pour the cream of coconut mixture over the cake, filling the holes. Let cake cool completely. When the cake is completely cool, top with Cool Whip and sprinkle with sweetened coconut flakes. Refrigerate for several hours before serving.

For the simple syrup: 1 cup fresh blueberries 1 cup sugar 1 cup water Directions: Start by making the simple syrup. Put blueberries, water and sugar in a medium-sized pan over low heat until the blueberry juices release and sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and set aside until cooled. Once cooled, strain the syrup into a cup and set aside. Muddle 5 to 8 blueberries at the bottom of a short cocktail glass and fill 3/4 of glass with shaved ice. Pour a handful of cubed ice into a cocktail shaker along with the vodka, cream of coconut (be sure to whisk this together before adding as it tends to separate in the can), blueberry syrup, pineapple and lemon juice. Shake for about 5-10 seconds and pour into the cocktail glass until just under the rim. Top with ice, fresh blueberries or any other garnish of your choice. M

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Locally hand-made

Catherine Thoms Jewelr y T U P E LO ’S O W N T H O M S F O U N D H E R N I C H E CREATING JEWELRY FROM HOME AND IS INFLUENCED BY NATURE AROUND HER. by EMMA KENT

wo years ago, Catherine Thoms jumped back into jewelry-making and found her style after years of experimenting. Thoms started making jewelry years ago when she and her husband were living in Louisville, Kentucky, and she was working in a local boutique. “We were always trying to find new and unique pieces of jewelry to carry in the store,” Thoms said. After Louisville, the Thoms moved to Dallas, and Catherine continued to make jewelry, experimenting with vintage pieces and new designs. When they moved to Tupelo, she took a break from jewelry-making to focus on the couple’s home renovations. They then decided to start a family, and her two young boys kept her busy for a few years. Her sons are now 5 and 3, and while they’re still keeping her busy, she’s found time to create again.

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Q&A with

Catherine

Thoms typically spends about three days per week working on her pieces, although with two small kids, it depends on the week. “A lot of times I’ll stay up late at night after they go to bed,” she said. When she needs to get work done, she retreats to her “jewelry room,” as she calls it. The sunny space in the front of the Thoms’ home used to be a nursery. It was converted to a guest room later, and then finally, it became her workspace. Thoms’ colorful jewelry stands out against the studio’s white shiplap walls and accent furniture. Thoms wanted the space to be bright and inspiring. “I love having it in the front of the house with the windows and natural light,” Thoms said of the space.

From top: Thoms works on creating a set of earrings; strings of beads to be used for different pieces.

EVOLVING, ECLECTIC STYLE Thoms’ style has changed quite a bit in the time since she first started making jewelry. She started making jewelry by repurposing antique and vintage pieces she found. “I used to go and find interesting pieces and create new jewelry out of them,” she said. “It’s kind of evolved from there.” Since then she’s started incorporating more natural elements into her pieces, giving them more of a Bohemian feel. Thoms loves to use natural and semi-precious stones and natural materials like coconut wood. “Now I use a lot of African glass and clay beads and gold accents,” she said. “I like a mixture of neutrals and bright colors.” She loves making statement pieces, whether it’s a pair of earrings, a bracelet or a necklace. She’s also recently gotten back into using some vintage accents in her work. The result of all of these personal preferences and interesting materials is an eclectic style that reflects Thoms. “All of the new designs I come up with, in general, are definitely reflections of my own style,” Thoms said. “Everything I make I want to like myself.”

What do you like to listen to while you work in your jewelry studio? I have a playlist on Spotify that I like to play and it’s everything from Taylor Swift to Christian music. What is the best thing about living in Tupelo? We like that it has a really good small town feel without being too small. We think it’s a really great place to raise our boys. What are your favorite sources of inspiration? Fashion designers on Instagram, home magazines — I never know what might inspire me for a new design. How would you describe the style of your jewelry? Overall, it’s an eclectic mix of everyday to formal to statement pieces. What is your favorite pick-me-up? Coffee at home! I drink Starbucks Pike Place blend. I like a strong coffee.

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INSTA-SALES These days, doing business always involves social media and the internet. Thoms has a website and she’s currently working on building up her inventory so that she can do more online selling through it. Right now she sells mostly through Instagram or custom orders that people contact her directly about. Instagram has been a surprisingly easy way for her to do business, Thoms said. With the rise of payment services like Venmo and PayPal, it’s never been easier to make a quick sale. “It’s just so easy when you can post something right there and people can comment to buy,” she said. Still, most of her work is made-to-order. “I’m doing mostly made-to-order unless I have a certain pair of earrings I know is popular or something, then I’ll try to make several pairs and have them ready to sell and ship,” Thoms said. Her customers are mostly local, although many of her friends from Louisville and Dallas order from her and tell their friends, too. “I’m at the post office a lot,” she said. “I don’t always know who I’m sending them to, which is kind of fun.” Thoms hasn’t gotten into wholesale yet. That’s a whole new level of work, and she said keeping up with that demand would be challenging. She did recently do a small collection of jewelry for Willow Bride in Tupelo for brides who wanted statement earrings to wear to wedding events, rehearsal dinners or even on their big day.

For that collection, Thoms used a lot of white and cream tassels and simple stones like moonstone and mother-of-pearl. ONE-OF-A-KIND This spring, Thoms is working on new bracelets for summer. For some reason, she said, bracelets tend to be more popular during the summer. Her earrings have also been popular lately. “It kind of goes in phases,” she said. She’s also working on pieces to take to the Cotton District Arts Festival in Starkville. The annual arts festival takes place on April 13. “Bracelets are fun because they’re never alike,” she said. “I like to make them all a little different. I get bored making the same thing over and over, so I like the one-of-a-kind designs.” That same approach applies to all of her pieces including earrings and necklaces. Coming up with a design for a new piece takes a little bit of trial-anderror playing around with materials and elements. “Sometimes that is what takes the longest,” she said. Thoms said she often looks to fashion designers and bloggers for inspiration when coming up with fresh ideas for her designs. “I like to be different,” she said. “ I don’t want my jewelry to look like anything else you could go and buy anywhere at a store.” M

From left: Necklaces hang in Thoms’ work space in her Tupelo home; Catherine Thoms, owner and creator of Catherine Thoms Jewelry.

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Fa s h i o n T i p

Styling Scarves NECK SCARVES ARE EVERYWHERE THESE DAYS, AND FOR GOOD REASON. YOU CAN STYLE THEM ANY WAY YOU WANT TO EASILY ADD FLAIR TO YOUR FAVORITE OUTFITS.

SIMPLE NECK TIE

SIMPLE SILK SCARF

THE BANDANA

This style works best with a smaller, square neck scarf and goes with just about any type of shirt or outfit. To get this look, fold your scarf into one long rectangle. Wrap twice around your neck and tie in the front.

This look is classic. Use a large silk neck scarf and fold it in half. Then, starting with the straight folded side, fold inward toward the point until the scarf is one long folded rectangle. Wrap scarf around neck once and bring ends to the front, crossing one over the other and adjusting.

The bandana style of this look makes it a good choice for when you’re wearing a v-neck or scoop-neck top. Fold your scarf in half and fold the straight side inward about halfway. With the fold facing inward, wrap around your neck and tie ends on top in the front.

THE BOWTIE

THE BOY SCOUT

THE CHOKER

If you really want to get playful or make a bold statement, try tying your scarf into a bow. Starting by folding and wrapping the scarf like you did for The Bandana, but instead of tying a knot in the front, tie a bow.

A simple, stately way of wearing a neck scarf that’s a little looser on the neck. For this style, simply fold or roll your scarf into one long, rectangular piece (it should be skinny) and tie loosely around your neck, leaving the knot and ends in the front.

Much like our favorite early 2000s neck accessory, this style is no-nonsense while still adding a little something extra to your outfit. Fold your scarf into a long, skinny rectangle and wrap twice around your neck. Tie the ends together in the back and tuck them in.

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BEHIND THE PAINTING Oxford artist Cindy Aune paints whimsical pieces full of varying techniques and detail. We asked her to break one down for us. by EMMA KENT

Texture

xford artist Cindy Aune has been painting for a long time. But it wasn’t until recently that she started painting how she wanted to paint. For years, Aune painted to make a living, but now, she lives to paint. “When I was younger I thought I had to do what everyone else did, but I’m doing pretty much what I want to now.” she said. “Painting is the most frustrating and the most exhilarating work I have ever done.” Her work is abstract and colorful, and most of her pieces contain many layers — both literally and figuratively. A lot of her work features faces and people. While some of her subjects are inspired by real life, sometimes she just dreams them up and they appear on the canvas. “Sometimes I see the person, and I’m thinking about them, but other times I’m just playing with shapes and color or texture,” she said. The people she paints often have an eclectic look to them, with exaggerated features and unusual coloring. She mostly uses acrylic paints with intense pigments. “I use weird colors in hair and I don’t use a lot of flesh tones,” she said. Aune doesn’t paint using brushes, either. Instead, she opts for a simpler approach: She paints with her fingers. Her Oxford studio is full of completed pieces, all painted in varying color schemes. Right now, Aune is gearing up for festival season, so her studio is especially full of pieces she’s been preparing to take to those events this spring. This year, she’ll be at the Ridgeland Art Festival in Madison, Art On The Square in Southlake, Texas, the Cottonwood Art Festival in Richardson, Texas, and the Geneva Art Festival in Geneva, Illinois. She’ll also have a solo show at Jeffrey Breslow Gallery in Chicago this July. Many of her pieces are currently on display at the Caron Gallery in Tupelo. Aune likes to do whatever she wants when painting, so she’s constantly experimenting with materials and mediums in her work. She loves to play with color, texture and proportion as well. Once she found that freedom to experiment in her work, Aune said she realized painting isn’t as hard as it’s perceived to be. “People make painting a lot harder than it is because you’re ‘supposed’ to do certain things,” she said. “But it’s not that hard.” M

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The patterned appearance here was created using a kraft paper stencil and spray paint. This method creates dimension and brings the subject’s hair to life through texture. Aune likes the wild look it gives the woman’s hair. “Her hair looks like it’s wisteria or something,” she said. Aune often uses spray paint alongside acrylic paint in her pieces.

Do-Over

When she first painted this piece, Aune felt that the eyes were too far apart and the nose was too long. “It was very out of proportion,” she said. “For some reason her eyes are very big — too big — but I really like them. That’s why I kept it.” So, Aune reworked the original piece into something new. The result is a piece Aune says is very different from most of her other work. “It’s a lot more feminine than most of the pieces I do.”

Experimental Elements

To make these watercolor-esque circles, Aune uses watercolor pens to scribble circles where she wants to add color or interest to a piece. Then, she activates the watercolor by wiping them with water, creating the reddish circles you see in this piece. The pens are typically used by watercolorists for painting intricate details, but Aune likes to experiment with using them in her work.

The Birds

Sometimes it’s because she needs to fill space, and other times it’s because she feels a painting needs a little something extra, but birds are a recurring element in Aune’s work. “They’re a good element to use,” she said. “I can change the form of them really easily.” In this piece, she added the birds at the end to give the painting an extra layer of interest as well as distract from some of the elements she doesn’t like about this piece. “Those are the last thing I added, and they distract from the negative elements.”

Pretty in Pink

Another one of the original painting’s elements that drew Aune back to the piece was the mouth. She loves the way the lips smear at the edges and their bright pink color.

Set the Scene

Aune doesn’t begin her paintings with a blank canvas. Instead, she texturizes the canvases and adds color to work off of. “I like the shadows and the irregularity that it creates,” she said. She creates texture using tissue paper and gel medium, then she paints over it using drips of paint to create an abstract backdrop for the painting’s subject. Not only does this process add interest to the work, but Aune said she finds blank canvases intimidating.

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YALorun 24

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Coulter Fussell has always been an artist, but her true love is textiles. With a collection of vintage fabrics and materials and a downtown Water Valley studio, she creates one -of-a-kind quilts stitched with heart and history. by EMMA KENT

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here was never a time in Coulter Fussell’s life when she did not want to be an artist. In her words, “it was just a matter of how to make it happen.” The Georgia native grew up surrounded by the arts. Her mother was a quilter and her father a museum curator. “I learned how to quilt from my mother,” she said. “I picked it up just by watching.” Always dabbling in one form of art or another, Fussell wasn’t tied to any medium in particular. She was always drawn to painting and working with textiles. When she had her first son, Fussell made her first quilt on her own. “I’d always collected fabric and through the years I started working with textiles more and more,” Fussell said. That sparked her love of quilting and led to the birth of yaloRUN Textiles, a back-to-basics quilt shop and experimental textile workshop in Water Valley. The space is a historic building in downtown Water Valley with floor-to-ceiling front windows and plenty of room for Fussell to work. The studio and retail space was formerly a medical supply store with a much different vibe. Fussell spent eight months tearing the interior of the building down to the studs and then making it into a space that suited her.

“I wanted the building to be totally blank,” she said. “I wanted all of the color to come from the fabric.” Inside, visitors will find vintage fabric and textiles everywhere. Some of Fussell’s creations are hung on the wall, and those still in progress are often spread out on the floor. People visiting yaloRUN can purchase items like handmade pillows, small embroidered items, knitted items, bundles of quilting fabric and other sewing supplies. Most of the fabric at yaloRUN has been donated, and Fussell takes those materials and uses them in her quilts. Sometimes, she gets old quilts in the mail or she shows up to yaloRUN and people have left her material outside of the door. She even has a few pieces of fabric from the 1850s. “Everything I have here is all old vintage fabrics, and almost all of it is from people here in town,” she said. The only new fabric Fussell buys is muslin for the back of her quilts — but that’s how she likes it. “I love old material,” she said. “I feel like when the material is old and used and faded it does all of the painting for you. It’s like half of the work is already done and I just have to put the pieces together.” She spends the bulk of her time at the downtown yaloRUN Textiles studio. She’s there Monday through

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Thursday pretty much all day working on her quilts. She works on the floor, lying her quilts out and getting down on the ground to sew pieces together by hand. She lays the pieces out on the floor and comes up with the design by trying out different pieces of fabric together. Fussell usually works on several quilts at a time. Fussell recently had a show at Southside Gallery in Oxford where several of her quilts were on display. Those pieces were more experimental. She used unconventional materials like Astroturf and order slips from Ajax Diner, where she waits tables. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been collecting order slips from her co-workers at Ajax and sewing them into her designs. For Fussell, the slips add an extra layer of meaning to the pieces theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re included in. Previous page: Coulter Fussell in her shop, yaloRUN Textiles; a tray of sewing thimbles. // This page: Fussell sits on the floor and works on a quilt made from different fabrics, including order slips from Ajax Diner.

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“Sometimes in my work I want to see a physical manifestation of what work is,” she said. The order slips are colorful and intricate with their various styles of handwriting and pen marks. “I love that they all look different,” Fussell said. She was also recently awarded a $50,000 grant as part of the United States Artists Fellowship, an arts organization in Chicago that awards 45-50 grants each year to artists living in the U.S. “That was surprising,” she said. Last year, Fussell designed several quilts for Best Made Company, a men’s outdoor outfitter. The quilts she created for Best Made were inspired by states, and the company supplied her with pieces of clothing to take fabric from and incorporate into them. The design of the quilts was inspired by each state’s trade or agriculture and history.

Clockwise from left: Knitting needles; Fussell quilts all her pieces by hand, but sells vintage sewing machines at her shop; ribbon for sale.

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Top to bottom: Fussell lays out her fabric for a piece on the floor, and then takes a seat to sew; yaloRUN Textiles in downtown Water Valley.

That project pushed her to sew 17 quilts in six months, which was a challenge. “It was awesome,” she said. “It really taught me how to sew fast.” The most difficult part of Fussell’s process is composing the quilts. With the huge range of fabrics Fussell uses — from vintage florals to tulle — she has to find the right combination for each quilt. Quilting does have limitations, and Fussell likes that there is only so much you can do with fabric. “I like this craft especially because it has this set of methods, techniques and rules, and that edits things down for me. I like that as a self-edit,” she said. “I like to work within a box and decide when I do and don’t go outside of it.” Although she’s made a lot of quilts, Fussell says she doesn’t have any favorites. “I sort of like them and dislike them all in different ways,” she said. She does do commissioned quilts, but she’s selective about those projects. Sometimes she gets requests for quilts made of sentimental fabrics or clothing, and she always wants to be sure people understand her creative process in working with those items. Each piece of fabric is special, and oftentimes, irreplaceable, so Fussell has to work with it wisely. “I’m particular about the way I approach those,” she said. “It’s such an honor, but I want to use the fabric freely.” M

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2019 TISHOMINGO COUNTY Calendar of Events

MARCH 15 Build a Bird a Home~JP Coleman State Park 662-423-6515 APRIL 5-6 31st Annual Hollis Long/Archie Lee Memorial Ole’ Tyme Music Gathering~Tish. S Park APRIL 6 BFL Fishing Tournament~JP Coleman State Park APRIL 13 3rd Annual Easter Egg Hunt~ Tish. S Park 662-438-6914 APRIL 13 Trailblazers Fishing Tournament~JP Coleman State Park April 13 Aqua Yacht Harbor Boat Show~662-423-2222 APRIL 20 Annual Easter Egg Hunt~JP Coleman S Park 662-423-6515 APRIL 26 4th Annual Earth Day~Tish. S Park (depending on school schedule) APRIL 27 2nd Annual Jaybird Market, Jaybird Park, Downtown Iuka 662-279-4116 APRIL 27 Renaissance Day ~old Tish. Co. Courthouse 662-423-3500 APRIL Woodall Dash-Iuka 662-423-3656

MAY 3-4 Smokin’ on the Waterway/BBQ Cook-off Burnsville 662-427-9526 MAY 4 Hazardous Waste Collection Day~ Tishomingo County Soil and Water 662-423-6272 MAY 4 Casting for Cancer & Midway Marine Bassfest JP Coleman State Park 662-423-6515 MAY 4 7th Annual Native American Customs/Traditions Festival Tish. S Park 662-438-6914 MAY National Day of Prayer~Iuka/National Day of Prayer~Belmont MAY 15 11:00 a.m. 80th Anniversary Celebration/Dedication of CCC Status Tish. S Park MAY 18 2nd Annual Kid’s to Park’s Day~Tish. S. Park 662-438-6914 MAY 18 BFL Fishing Tournament~JP Coleman State Park

1001 B attleground d r . I uka , MS 38852 662-423-0051 • Info @ tIShoMIngo . org • www . tIShoMIngofunhere . org

GET TO KNOW

MARY FRANCES MASSEY by W. DEREK RUSSELL

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ortheast Mississippi native Mary Frances Massey is a singer and part of the band Massey Tate with partner Paul Tate. She has been singing professionally since 2006 and has taken her career worldwide with companies like Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and Matt Davenport Productions. She is a studio vocalist in the recording industry and can be heard on Oxford’s “Thacker Mountain Radio” as a guest vocalist. Massey is a teaching artist with the Mississippi Arts Commission and Mississippi Alliance for Arts Education, as well as an instructor and part owner of North Mississippi Dance Centre in Tupelo. She and her husband Adam live in Tupelo with their daughters Molly, 7, and Frances, 2.

Q: What’s your background in music? I started singing in the children’s choir at First United Methodist Church under the direction of Beverly McAlilly. From a young age, she saw something in me and always pushed me to do my best. She corrected my flaws with compassion and never let me give up. That, paired with school choir and show choir, were a big part of my musical growth. I then went on to Mississippi State University on a vocal scholarship. From there I moved on to a small performing arts program at Columbia State Community College and began my musical career the following year in 2006. Q: What’s your greatest musical accomplishment? Writing my album and releasing it in 2015. I was going through so much in my life that I felt that I had to get out, so I started to write it down. That turned into one song, then another. It got great reviews once it was released and it made me feel proud to be a woman songwriter and performer. Q: What do you enjoy about per forming live? It is never the same. When I was a lead singer for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, I would have 50 second costume changes and have to rush on stage like it was effortless. In one of those shows, our curtain caught fire. In another show, a guest rushed the stage and demanded the cast sing “Happy Birthday.” I’ve seen some really bizarre things. My band and I have had some funny things happen too. Not too long ago, we had a lady get on the drum set and demand to play along (at one of our bar gigs). We obliged, but she was so terrible that we ended up getting security to get her off stage. The energy is always different, the audience is always different and our sets are always different. Working with Massey Tate is so enriching. They are all professional musicians who enjoy being challenged. Paul Tate, my partner, is an accomplished pianist and guitarist. He can chart absolutely anything, which gives us an added edge to other bands. People can request literally any song and he

favorite moments as a teacher. Rap may not be most people’s favorite music but it does connect to many. It serves as an expressive outlet to a lot of students, musicians and more. Q: Who are some of your role models that are recording ar tists? Bonnie Raitt, Susan Tedeschi and Barbra Streisand, just to name a few. I have a really random list of artists on my playlists – from Broadway to blues. I just connect to so many artists. Also, being a dance teacher, I have to always search for fun music to teach with. So I can be jamming out to the Foo Fighters on my morning commute and then a random Kids Bop song will come on and throw me off.

can chart it. We have such a great time at our gigs. Q: Where can audiences see you per form? It varies month to month but my favorite places to play lately have been The Thirsty Devil and Forklift. I occasionally join Thacker Mountain Radio’s house band, the Yalobushwackers, on their show. Paul is the lead guitarist and charts most of the music for the show. You can always check my website maryfrancesmassey.com for upcoming gigs. Q: Why do you think music is universal? Because music has no language barrier. You can travel worldwide and always find people listening to music, dancing to music and feeling music. It is one of the most expressive art forms there is. You can always connect to someone through music. Through my job as a teaching artist with the Mississippi Arts Commission, I recently taught at a Meridian middle school. It was a lesson in ELA, creative writing. I had the students write a story with characters, conflicts and conflict resolutions. I then told the students to rap their stories. It was an incredible moment to see these students bring their stories to life. One of my

Q: Did you always want to per form when you were growing up? Yes. I can honestly say, this is my dream and I’m living it. It may not be a huge stage in New York but it is a stage. A stage I can create on, in a community that has graciously accepted me. Q: You’re active in the ar ts - why are they so impor tant to our region? The arts are incredibly important in Mississippi and everywhere because children connect more through expression. Expression in visual arts, music and dance. Just think about how we teach our children their ABC’s – through a song. I was a child that was a physical and visual learner. I love how arts integration plays to children like me - that just need a different way of learning. Q: What advice would you give others looking to find their voice? Learning doesn’t stop with high school and college when it comes to your voice. Your voice will change many times at many different ages. You need to always push yourself to grow and continue to learn. You may hear “no” once or twice in your life. Maybe even multiple times. But that doesn’t mean you should give up. I have heard, “no, you’re not what were looking for” plenty of times. I eventually heard “yes.” I continued to grow with each job I got and learn from every director I had. I am always growing and will never stop learning. M

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LOCAL ARTIST

En Plein Air JUSTIN TREADAWAY ISN’T A PROFESSIONALLY TRAINED PAINTER. THE UNION COUNTY ARTIST PREFERS TO LET NATURE DO THE TEACHING — HE JUST CAPTURES IT IN HIS PLEIN AIR PAINTINGS. by W. DEREK RUSSELL

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J From left: Justin Treadaway paints with oil paints; Treadaway works on a commissioned piece; the artist paints a lot of his paintings on the land near his Union County home.

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ustin Treadaway sees the world through Prussian blues, Permanent Alizarin Crimsons, viridian greens and titanium whites. They’re the go-to colors on his palette when he sets up his easel on the gravel road that runs behind his home in Union County. It’s one of his favorite places to go in the late afternoon, just before it gets dark. When he’s all alone with his canvas, his easel and his paint, that’s when he feels most like himself. While he didn’t always fancy himself an artist – indeed, his earliest memories of wanting a “grownup” profession involved him being an archeologist – Treadaway traded in his movie whip and artifacts for something more tangible. “Since I was a child, I’ve noticed things,” Treadaway said. “I would stop and watch a sunset or clouds or see how light hits a tree. It catches my attention. At that age, it didn’t say “paint me” but it did say “notice me.” Though he admits he had no passion for anything in high school or college, Treadaway did enjoy the few art classes he took growing up. Once graduating high school and attending Delta State University, his attention turned to history courses. “I was pretty unsure of what I was going to major in,” Treadaway said. “I really liked one of my history teachers so I decided I was going to major in history and ended up moving into social science education to be a history teacher. I made it

Top to bottom: Treadaway has been painting for nearly eight years; his work hangs in his Union County home.

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all the way through to the end and I needed one class that wasn’t being offered.” Instead of taking time off from school until he could complete his education, he filled a semester up with art courses and was surprised at what he found. “I loved it,” he said. “And more surprisingly, I was pretty good at it.” Treadaway tacked on more art courses, including sculpting and print making, and before he knew it he had enough credits to obtain a minor in art from DSU. Which, ironically, enabled him to teach. That was over 13 years ago. Since that time, Treadaway has been teaching art (and some history courses) at West Union Attendance Center in Myrtle. Studying art has become a hobby for the instructor. Painting has become his pastime. And his plein air painting has become his focus. En plein air, a French term for painting outdoors, puts the artist at the forefront of his work. “I’ve always loved the outdoors and being outside so it’s kind of a perfect fit,” he said. “I like to paint quickly and that’s what you have to do with this. I really wanted to start painting from life.” Treadaway didn’t take a course in plein air. Everything he learned about the craft he gathered from books and the internet – but that hasn’t stopped him from honing his skill and making a part-time job out of the art form. “Basically you take your canvas, easel and paints outside and set up on location. What you’re looking at, you paint. You don’t take a picture of it and go back and do it later.

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Clockwise from top left: Treadaway’s brushes; Justin Treadaway holding one of his plein air paintings; his easel he takes outside to paint; he cleans his brush with turpentine.

You’re right there in it,” he said of the method. While he doesn’t consider himself to be an abstract artist, Treadaway said he does like to color outside the lines, so to speak. “Some plein air painters go for a perfect likeness but I don’t. I use what’s in front of me as a guide and kind of let it filter through. I play a little fast and loose with the painting but I’m a little more intentional with capturing what’s in front of me,” he said. He’s been dabbling in plein air now for nearly eight years. When he’s not spending time with his wife Devon or his sons Joseph, 12, and Haddon, 4, he can usually be found in the great outdoors. “It’s my downtime and quiet time,” he said. “Since I

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was a little kid I loved walking in the woods with my dad. Getting to paint out there makes it even better.” Treadaway said he doesn’t necessarily think that his favorite thing to do is a calling, but it is an urge. “I do believe it’s inherent in us to want to create and make. Whether it’s writing or a cake or furniture or art. It’s ingrained in man to want to create. It’s a desire within me. It’s not my identity and I don’t draw my satisfaction through it, but it is satisfying and it feels like something I’m supposed to do. If I don’t paint for a while, I have an urge to get it out and I do believe that is God given. I just know this is what I’m supposed to do.” To learn more about Treadaway’s art, visit his Facebook page, Justin Treadaway - Art. M

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Black Sheep Boutique in Tupelo: Cello jeans, $42; She + Sky shirt, $32; xoxo, jon jon necklace, $42

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Threads Boutique in Oxford: Dolce Vita wedges, $130; BuddyLove dress, $76

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Pixie Dust Boutique in Tupelo: Leopard mini skirt, $33; Basic tank, $12; Bracelet set, $25

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Spring has sprung and your favorite local retailers have racks of new styles for the spring and summer seasons. Get inspired with our spring fashion catalog, then get out and shop! photos by LAUREN WOOD

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Callahan & Co. By channeling her creativity, Chandler Callahan fell into the business of custom calligraphy. The Corinth resident shares her talents with the world through her personalized signs, paintings and more. by EMMA KENT

hen she picks up a paint pen or brush these days, Chandler Callahan makes writing in her whimsical script look easy. And I mean really, really easy. But she hasn’t always approached her calligraphy so confidently. “It took a good year for me to be like, ‘OK, I’m good at this,’” Callahan said. The ease with which she paints isn’t surprising, though, coming from someone who says she’s always been creative and fairly DIY-inclined. “I’ve always been like that, like ‘I can just do it myself,’” she said. That’s the spirit that got her into calligraphy and painting in the first place. She started doing hand-lettering work in the summer of 2017. “I really just wanted to find a hobby, and I got into watercolor,” she said. Eventually, painting led to her trying her hand at calligraphy, and before she knew it, she was taking orders. When she first started experimenting with calligraphy, she posted her work on Instagram and Facebook. Her friends and family took notice, and started asking her to do projects for them. “I was just saying ‘yes’ to everything,” she said. Thus, her business, Callahan and Co., was born. Callahan now creates custom signs, chalkboard signs, hand-painted jackets, family portraits, hand-lettered wedding vows, custom door mats, wedding signs and more.

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With a website, blog and workshops now part of the equation, Callahan stays busy working on new items for her online shop and custom orders. When she has the time, she loves to try new designs or look for ways to customize different items with her calligraphy. “Everytime I do something new, it’s my new favorite thing,” she said. Just last year she got married and decided to paint her new last name on the back of her denim jacket to wear in some of her wedding photos. After sharing photos of it, the custom jackets started to take off. Customers mail her their jackets, which she then paints and returns to them. A lot of her custom items are purchased as wedding or housewarming gifts. “I do a lot for newlyweds,” she said. Her most popular item by far has been her last name signs. “No matter what, I feel like I’ll be doing those for the rest of my life,” she said. Her parents still live in Olive Branch, so a lot of her customers are friends and family in that area. She uses their porch as a drop-off and pick-up for orders, though she does ship if she needs to. Callahan also loves to attend craft shows and sell her work, not only because she loves the opportunity to meet her customers but also because meeting other artists keeps her inspired. “It’s nice to meet other people doing creative things,” she said.

Opposite page, from left: Callahan does hand-lettering on a sign; one of her pieces hangs in the workroom of her Corinth home.

This page, top to bottom: Chandler Callahan; custom door mats she creates for clients; wooden signs are her most popular item.

She’s recently started painting on canvases again. Right now, Callahan is working on a series of church paintings for the spring craft show and festival season. She also does smaller items like bookmarks and ornaments to take with her to shows. “I’ve started to build a little collection of them,” she said. Callahan’s church paintings are done in various sizes and in neutral color schemes. She uses caulk to create texture on the canvas before painting over it. The paintings reflect her Christian faith, as do many of her custom pieces of calligraphy work. When she isn’t painting, Callahan stays busy studying and taking classes at Blue Mountain College. She’s currently in her last semester at BMC getting her degree in elementary education. Right now, Callahan plans to keep painting and doing custom pieces when she starts teaching full time. For her, it’s more of a creative outlet than a business. She’s always been creative — whether it’s doodling, painting or crafting — and she always will be. TEACHING CREATIVITY Callahan wants to help others, especially girls and women, tap into their creativity. In February, she taught her first workshop and loved it. The workshop was called “Brunch and the Basics,” and of course, included brunch and lessons on basic hand-lettering skills as well as small business information. Callahan hopes that through workshops like the February one, she can help equip young women to marry their creative interests with business knowledge to start their own small businesses or help them land a creative job. “A lot of girls don’t realize that you can use that and have a job where you get to be creative,” she said. “If that’s something you like, then you need to explore it, whether it’s for money or just for yourself. It doesn’t have to turn into a small business. Everybody needs a creative outlet.” The workshop is $40 and includes a workbook that helps guide participants through the process of learning how to create beautiful hand-lettered designs. Callahan said more workshops will be happening in the near future. When she started doing calligraphy, Callahan said she relied on watching YouTube videos and googling tutorials. She loves teaching other people those skills because she knows how difficult it was to learn those hand lettering techniques on her own. “This isn’t something that you’re just good at or not — everyone is bad at first,” she said. “I really just had to start by watching others and then after that I could evolve into my own style.” M

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D o - I t - Yo u r s e l f

Embroidered Jeans Add some personality to your favorite denim cutoffs or vintage jeans this spring with these easy DIY embroidery projects. All you need is embroidery thread and a needle to get started. See detailed instructions at mudandmag.com.

edge stitch

herringbone stitch

fly stitch

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