23 September ICC gallery features paintings by Amy Webb September 23, 2022 By Thomas, Donna S. General 0 A collection of paintings by Water Valley artist Amy Webb will be on display in the newly-renovated W.O. Benjamin Fine Arts Center Gallery at the Itawamba Community College Fulton Campus until Oct. 18. Her show entitled “Grounding Environments” consists of 11 oil on wood paintings of domestic interiors and nocturnal environments. “My work focuses on the grounding environments found in daily life,” Webb said. These are spaces that help one stay centered in themselves, where rest and introspection can happen. Most of my works contain elements of the home that are recognizable to anyone. “I want these to serve as an invitation to reflect on the relationships we have with our living spaces, how we personalize and create comfort within them. I create scenes from the home and other familiar moments, steeped in an almost surreal feeling of presence and solitude. This is represented by dramatic, unnatural palette choices and an emphasis on the shape of light.” A native of Meridian, Webb earned the bachelor’s degree of fine arts from the University of Mississippi. Additionally, she organizes Quasar, an Oxford-based arts program, as well as teaches art lessons in her Water Valley studio. Gallery hours are weekdays from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. except on days that the college is closed. For more information, contact Shawn Whittington at eswhittington@iccms.edu or call (662) 862-8301. Related Articles ICC gallery features work by Victoria Cummings-Bobo New works by artist Victoria Cummings-Bobo of Evergreen are currently on display in the W.O. Benjamin Fine Arts Center at the Itawamba Community College Fulton Campus. The exhibition titled “Eshe (Eh-Sheh) = Life: An Abstract Metal Frame of Mind” features a collection of acrylic and mixed media pieces to commemorate Black History Month and will be on display until Mar. 9. Bobo’s work uses household items or something nature provides to tell colorful and vibrant stories. Her work ranges from miniature models, which reflect everyday people to vibrant paintings and statuesque colorful objects. She combines her art and her faith by using adorned mannequins to teach Sunday School classes at New Temple Baptist Church. Bobo’s love of the arts has included poetry, acting and playing the piano. After a time in New York City, she returned to Dorsey in 1987, and in 1988, Bobo and her sister, Dr. Ormella Cummings, formed We Amend Minds-By-Action, an organization devoted to introducing cultural activities and enrichment programs to young people and adults in Itawamba County and the surrounding area. She and her husband, ... “My Watercolor Journey: From There to Here” by Feixue Yang Concludes ICC’s Fall Gallery Season The final exhibition in Itawamba Community College’s W.O. Benjamin Fine Arts Center Gallery for the Fall 2025 semester showcases the delicate artistry of Madison-based watercolor painter Feixue Yang. Her show, “My Watercolor Journey: From There to Here,” features a collection of landscape and portrait paintings that blend Eastern aesthetics with Western impressionistic techniques. The exhibition will be on display November 11 through December 3, with an artist’s reception at 1 p.m. on December 3. Yang’s watercolor work is known for its serene yet expressive quality, capturing moments of stillness and emotion through the interplay of light and color. A self-taught artist, Yang draws inspiration from both her surroundings in Mississippi and her deep emotional connection to her hometown in China. “Watercolor is my language,” Yang said. “It reminds me to embrace imperfection—because beauty often appears in unexpected places. My hope is that my work invites viewers to slow down and rediscover the poetry of ordinary life—to see not just with the eyes, but with the heart.” Yang’s award-winning plein air paintings have earned her recognition across Mississippi. She received second and third ... Summerford work on display in ICC Gallery The watercolor paintings of Fulton artist Laura Summerford will be on display through Dec. 7 at the W.O. Benjamin Fine Arts Center gallery at the Itawamba Community College Fulton Campus. Entitled “Southern Rust and Decay,” the exhibit includes 24 paintings featuring familiar Southern icons and images of the city of Fulton. “I was born into a family of artistic ability,” Summerford said. “My parents were very creative and nurtured that spirit in my brother and me. This atmosphere helped to mold my future in the art field. From the time that I picked up my favorite red crayon, I was hooked. I would have rather draw and color than anything else.” Summerford began to watercolor while majoring in graphic art at ICC. “The softness of the medium mesmerized me over the harshness that oils and acrylics possess. I had an instant love for watercolors. While continuing her studies at Mississippi University for Women, she found watercolors to be her choice medium. “The light washes allow for many layers of color to show through ... Work of Tanner South on display in the ICC Fulton Campus Gallery The work of Tanner South of Columbus will be on display in the W.O. Benjamin Fine Arts Center Gallery at the Itawamba Community College Fulton Campus until Dec. 9. The exhibition entitled “Charm and Chaos: A Collective of Aesthetic Forms Through Decadent Textures” features mixed media paintings, prints and wall assemblages. South said that his work is “inspired by imagination and visionary forms. My paintings embody the textures, colors and nature of my own dreams, nightmares or subconscious renderings. I find it hard not to physically want to touch some of my paintings myself. It’s a sort of textile stimulation that I think I sort of feed into when I’m creating the heavier textured pieces.” South said that he doesn’t “let the orderly left-brain of my day job stop my right-brain from cathartically creating and making a mess in the studio. Whether it’s with multiple mediums at once or with shapes of upcycled treasures to use in conjunction with other forms, it’s always fun to push the limits of myself.” South works full-time ... Work of 94-year-old Virginia Jackson, one of ICC's first students, currently on display in Fine Arts Center Gallery “The Gift of Life,” a collection of paintings by 94-year-old Virginia Jackson of Tupelo, is currently on display in the W.O. Benjamin Fine Arts Center Gallery at the Itawamba Community College Fulton Campus. The show includes Jackson’s acrylic paintings of landscapes and country scenes as well as two acrylic paintings by her granddaughter, Morgan Davis. Jackson’s first recollection of an interest in art was when she received a box of Crayola crayons at the age of five. She recalls coloring the embossed flowers on doilies (small napkins or decorative mats), but she didn’t start painting until the age of 91 when her daughter, Jill Jackson King, bought her a set of acrylic paints. She describes herself as self-taught and paints most scenes from memory. Most of her paintings are landscape scenes of farm life and “pretty flowers,” but she experiments with abstracts, also. She was born Virginia Anthony in 1929 in her family’s home outside of Tremont. Her father built their house and raised crops, cattle and hogs on their farm during the Great Depression. Growing up, she ... ICC exhibit features work of Tupelo's Armas “In Search of (Im)possibilities: Persistence,” which features the colorful, symbolic and expressionistic paintings of Eyevan Armas of Tupelo, is currently on display in the W.O. Benjamin Fine Arts Center gallery at the Itawamba Community College Fulton Campus. Armas, a self-taught, 29-year-old artist originally from Guadalajara, has been featured in countless underground “Secret Art Shows” in his hometown, and recently he had a month-long exhibit at ‘The Shop Downtown’ in Hattiesburg. His paintings have been displayed at locally-owned businesses such as Vanelli’s, Gabriel’s and the Thirsty Devil. Some of his biggest accomplishments include being published not only in DIME magazine but also as the illustrator of “The Great Building” written by Voz Vanelli. Armas’ current projects include exploring videography with his infamous “box head” characters, continuing to learn and grow as an artist and helping his works find loving homes. “In Search of (Im)possibilities: Persistence” will be on display through Nov. 2, when a closing reception is scheduled in honor of Armas from 2-5 p.m. Gallery hours are from 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday through ... Comments are closed.