Come view or select masterpiece art work by Southern artists and enjoy food, fun and atmosphere at Ridgeland Rendezvous, a reception hosted at Southern Breeze Gallery, Jackson Street Gallery and the View Gallery on Thursday, August 19 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Southern Breeze Gallery, which is home to more than 60 artists, will showcase the artwork of Lucy Hunnicutt during the August 19th Ridgleand Rendezvous.
In the final year of the 1980’s Lucy says that she had an epiphany. She ended a marriage, quit her job, and headed east out of Austin, Texas to tiny St Marks, Florida where she moved into a 2-room cabin older than the century. Her new home sat on a sparsely traveled sand road surrounded on 3 sides by thick woods and smack between 2 churches. Neither church was close enough to see but on Sundays she could listen to dueling gospel choirs sometimes until late in the day. The other days of the week she worked growing chemical free herbs in her gardens and greenhouse.

Winter nights were spent stoking the wood stove, during one of those nights she began to paint. She painted the long views across the salt marsh, the pattern of the light through the cabbage palm, the shadows and colors of the dead leaves on the ground. Lucy painted the fish her neighbors shared with her, just pulled from the river, and the chickens in their yards.

Some of the people in these paintings were neighbors and friends. Some are musicians who’s music she has loved. The stories are memories or parts of conversations Hunnicutt has had or heard. Others are lyrics to songs.

Lucy uses found material and most of the tin is from nearby barns or beach cottages found after storms. A lot of the wood is from the same houses.

Hunnicutt calls these paintings “Blues Paintings” because the Blues are life and that is where these come from, some happy times, some sad, some spiritual and mysterious. These paintings come straight out of her heart and when she works on them Lucy feels nothing but joy. Lucy hopes some of that feeling can find its way to you.

Jackson Street Gallery is proud to showcase the works of Dr. John Fenwick Jackson as the featured artist for the Third Thursday art show and reception. Dr. Jackson’s list of credientials in the medical field range from a general medical office in the US Army medical corps; a faculty member of Tulane Medical School and a medical genetics fellowship in Uppsala, Sweden. He taught medical genetics for 30 years at UMMC and retired in 1992 as chariman of the Department of Preventive Medicine. Dr. Jackson started painting in high school and carving in 1992. For the show, Dr. Jackson will be displaying his paintings as well as his carved minature decorative decoys. In addition to his art skills, he enjoys flying and building airplanes, woodworking and woodcarving, stone polishing and jewelry making. Welcome Dr. John Fenwick Jackson!

Before or after enjoying one or more of the Ridgeland Rendezvous artist’s receptions, take advantage of various dining, shopping and lodging opportunities in Ridgeland. From fish to filet mignon, Ridgeland features a variety of dining options to satisfy every palette.

As for shopping, Ridgeland offers the Renaissance at Colony Park, North Park Mall, The Township at Colony Park as well as numerous other shopping venues. For lodging needs, thirteen hotel options are available. For more information on Ridgeland or Ridgeland Rendezvous, visit www.visitridgeland.com