I recently went home to see my dad in Oxford, MS. The visit was exciting and bittersweet. I really missed the trees and dense woods that surround town. I saw the aftermath of ice storm Fern; the trees looked thinned out, most of them with broken limbs or snapped tops. A fleet of large trucks still had a ways to go hauling out piles of brush from all over town.

Despite being away from the studio for a week, I kept the personal goal of finishing three paintings in February. I was bolstered by my time seeing old friends and neighbors. It was special to see how everyone had come together to help each other in the recovery from the ice storm. I enjoyed the warmer Mississippi weather, and saw some excellent art made by friends at Southside Gallery as well!

See All Available Works Here

New Work

Transition II

Oil on canvas, 30in x 30in // 76.2cm x 76.2cm

A “sibling” to Transition (in Space)! The two paintings share examples of great birds, one more urgent, the other quiet. One associated with beauty and grace, the other associated with death and rot. With the blanket of kudzu in the background of this piece, both works feature vastly different ecological disasters in different regions of the U.S.

A new friend who cares for the birds of prey at Fontanelle Forest here in Omaha told me a lot about Turkey buzzards. I was already interested in them and painting them a great deal, but I enjoy it even more now knowing how intelligent they are; on par with well-trained dogs or even small children!

Entering the grove

Oil on canvas, 20in x 16in // 50.8cm x 40.64cm

This painting is based on an old Ford Ranger in my neighborhood that I love. I was drawn to the pattern of the bare branches reflected in the windshield. The most notable thing about arriving in Omaha back in July was the immediate presence of a few trees after driving through expansive Iowa cornfields for hours. I wanted to emphasize that sudden shift.

Sheer Presence

Oil on canvas, 8in x 10in // 20.32cm x 25.4cm

I love painting undulations, ridges, repeating patterns, and textures. Curtains are an example of this. While I was working on this piece I was thinking about how I feel exposed in a house with a lot of windows and foot traffic. Windows and walkability are great, but there’s a little part of me that wants more privacy too.

Looking ahead, I have eight newly stretched canvases that I’m preparing for new works, some inspired by my recent visit home. I’m preparing for my first Chicago solo show! I’ll have more to announce regarding that soon. I will also be moving again. By September, I’ll be settling in South Philadelphia, hopefully with a roomy new studio. There is a lot on the horizon, so I’m trying to stay optimistic!

Thanks for catching up!

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I’ve been looking for ways to embrace the Nebraska landscape this Winter. When it’s not too cold and windy out (rare!), I’ll seek out some trails with my sketchbook and my dog, Jupiter. To me, the novelty of the Plains makes it feel like a well of inspiration and a peaceful respite.

Grains

Oil on canvas, 20” x 20”, 2025

This painting started from a few images I took on my last hike, I really loved the grain of the wood and the textures I could play with in this grassy field. The winding road in the background wasn’t a deviation from the landscape I was using as a reference. This view was what drew me in on my last walk.

Dog Days

Oil on canvas, 8” x 10”, 2025

This piece is a continuation of all the green foliage I was exploring in December. Here I was remembering some adventures back in Mississippi and adding a new narrative to the same setting.

The Pit

Oil on canvas, 12” x 12”, 2025

This piece began a few months ago, along with my last two interiors, initially as something to get me back into the practice of painting. A fire pit at my dear friends’ home on a chilly evening, I painted this because I felt at home here (in this moment) for one of the first times since the move. I’ve been feeling really grateful for the people I’ve met in Omaha over the last six months.

These works are on my NEW WEBSITE!

I’m very happy to announce that with the new year, I also have a totally new website. I decided to move from Wix to Squarespace for a site that feels more organized and easy to navigate. I have an available works page there that I will keep updated for easier access!

Over the past month, my studio time has been focused on consistency. I’ve been happy to get in, at minimum, an hour of painting every day! I’ve also started teaching art in my community recently, which feels like a good way to stay sharp.

With this steady routine, I hope to also make room for more small adventures. The little things I can look forward to really help drive the creative process. I know I can plan more of these in the Spring, but there’s still a lot of waiting.

Thank you for following my work and taking the time to read these studio notes.

If you’d like to respond, I always enjoy hearing what resonates with you. Feedback on the new website is welcome!

Warmly,

Amy Renee Webb

I’ve also been thinking about how every winter makes me yearn hard for lush, green forests. I want just enough warm humidity to make the air feel like a hug. How do I convey how enormous and intense the Green of my home town feels in the Spring? I always think about my friend Emma referring to Mississippi as a “big green woman”, and she was so right.

To bring these ideas to life, I’ve playing with textures and thin glazes of paint that help me create these deep, rich greens. I want greens one can get buried in, like I was here in this picture my friend Helen took during our last dog walk together before I moved. I’m using this image as a reference point, note the kudzu in the background.

New Work

The Visit

Oil on canvas, 24” x 16”

This painting began as a way to paint the absence of community, and how I think that was contributing to my own anxiety, I realized I was feeling unusually jumpy at home, even when it was just the mailman at the door.

I was also interested in exploring the colors and textures of our new home in Omaha, so I made a brief return to painting interiors. Being able to paint from life, a space that I experience every day, was a way to ground myself here and get back the momentum of painting I’d had a few months prior.

Smokeless

Oil on canvas, 24” x 16”

This painting began as a simple front-door painting, but I found myself wanting to play with fire. After completing the work I realized I painted a house fire with no smoke involved, and I wanted to keep it that way. I’d been in a conflict all week with my upstairs neighbor smoking cigarettes in the house, and I was sick of the idea of smoke in general. There’s no smoke in this house, at least not within my painting. The frustration is there, though.

Acquaintances

Oil on canvas, 16” x 16”

I’ve been thinking about turkey buzzards a lot lately. I remember seeing a wake of them in the middle of my street on a hot summer day last year. They were taking care of a dead squirrel before it could stink up the place. Seeing them up close, unphased by my presence, I started to appreciate how huge they are, and how they’re also socially-motivated.

A frequent subject in my paintings is my cat Lester, who I wish could just live forever and ever. He exists here in the same scene with the buzzard, a symbol of mortality. The vultures live outside with the kudzu and giant summer thunderheads on the horizon, while Lester the house cat enjoys his sun spots, chasing light beams, staying sheltered and innocent.

Daytime Descent

Plaster and Latex paint on canvas, 16” x 16”

I’ve been continuing these plaster/joint compound pieces slowly but surely. I have to work on them outdoors due to the dust, so it may be a while before I can continue making more. This approach is a fun departure from painting, and a homage to my late great-grandmother’s Wedgewood/jasperware collection. I’m swapping the traditional Greco-Roman imagery from those ceramic pieces with motifs and narratives that reflect the times and places we are both from.

I’m happy to say that I’ve found ways to document my works really consistently even when confined to a smaller home-studio until next year (thanks to my photographer friend, Tyler)! Here’s a peak behind the scenes, where the spare room is now the space for archivist and admin work.

Stay tuned for updates on where all of these new works can be seen in person or in print, there are some shows and projects on the horizon that I’ll be excited to share soon. I’m also always happy to have studio visitors, just email me!

Thank you for following my work and taking the time to read my updates.

Let me know your thoughts if you have any you want to share.

Email: @amyreneewebb, DM me on Instagram (@aunt.ag0ny), yell at me in public, whatever.

Next month, I’ll be continuing to explore the Green Stuff of landscapes, buzzards may be involved as well.

Warmly,

Amy Renee Webb

Honestly, the transition from a rural, Southern setting to a mid-size, midwestern city has been a rocky one. For years, most of my work has been inspired by my environment and identity rooted in my lifelong home. Feeling lost, I’ve been so homesick for my community and family, the natural landscape, the dense trees, and the charm of Water Valley and Oxford. The Omaha city sprawl, vast cornfields, and windmills of Nebraska felt too strange. 

However, some things about Omaha have given me exciting new perspectives, and I’m trying to integrate these into a new body of work. Like meeting two cohorts of artists-in-residence at the Bemis center: international, multi-hyphenate creatives with distinguished careers. I feel so lucky to get glimpses into their studios, seeing unique approaches to painting, sculpture, photography, videography, and textile art. The Bemis center and its residents impress and amaze me!

Omaha is also home to The Joslyn: a huge, gorgeous art museum that is free to the public. What more could I ask for? It’s a space to sit with my favorite artworks for a while, journal and sketch in the sunny atrium with a coffee and scone, feeling at home. When driving isn’t the move, I can meet a friend at the library a block away for some time collaging together. I’m so beyond fortunate to know other Oxford-area Mississippians right here in Omaha; what are the odds? Susanna and Tyler have been the best company during this adjustment, having a shared connection to home. 

Finding other artists, and the space and time to create has been its own challenge, but a welcome one. There’s a bi-monthly art critique group just steps away from my new home, which will help me figure out how to distill all of these new experiences into artworks.

I mourned the perfect little studio I had in Water Valley, but set up a workspace in our new back bedroom. Omaha has limited studio rental options, so painting at home seems to be the way to go for now. The poor light, thick carpet, and square footage of that room just weren’t cutting it, so now I’ve setup a modular studio in our “dining” room. This new space brings a lot of joy to work in. Since getting the space right, I’ve started four new paintings! Before having this setup, or letting myself create something new, I was just spinning my wheels for hours in the back bedroom, getting nowhere. For months, I was stressing over this one ambitious piece that began in Mississippi and maybe just wasn’t meant to be finished in Nebraska. I’ve decided to move on.

Some of these new works will be ready soon, and there’s a mild focus on interiors for now as a way to show some gratitude for this new environment. I can build more elaborate narratives, but not until I’ve really explored the light and textures of a new place, starting simple.

Omaha’s light feels so different, so much harsher in the summer (though not as hot!), and now it’s fading away for the Fall. For a few years now, Summer has personally been a slow time for art. Whether it was because I was out of school for the summer and didn’t have a studio, or I was working on a farm in the Mississippi heat, too drained to do much else afterwards; I’d make a few sparse works at best. However, every Fall, there’s a reinvigorated return to the practice. I’m ready to hibernate in the studio and emerge every spring with a lot of new works. The slow-down, the cooler temps, and the time to reflect is so welcome. It’s a time for settling in and getting a steady rhythm going. 

As for an online presence, I’m figuring that out too! My time and and access to social media has been really limited, that’s intentional, but I want to keep sharing personal and art-related updates as they come. I know I’m not alone in trying to find this balance, and posting a Substack article seemed like a good place to start reconnecting online. If you’ve taken the time to read this, thanks for catching up! I’m excited to share new works and explore this new place.

And my favorite…

Also, happening soon in Philadelphia!

Thank you to Whitson Ramsey for putting together this show, I’m honored once again to be showing with a group of really talented folks! 2025 looks like it may have many more events on the horizon, so thank you for staying up-to-date with my little newsletter.

If you’re reading this, you are formally invited to come to the opening reception for “Water Valley in Memphis”!

March 23rd, 1-6pm, At Ugly Art Co.

635 Madison Ave, Memphis, TN

I will have many new works at the this show! I feel lucky to exhibit with such a great crew of Water Valley Artists. The End of All Art Book pop-up is going to be there as well, so it will be a party! Don’t miss it.

Coming in May, I’ll be participating in a group show in L.A., called “RISE 2”, courtesy of Allgorithim Gallery. I still have works available through this gallery, including the addition of two larger works! I’m excited and honored to show there soon!

If you’re ever near Water Valley, my studio is open for visits! Just email me at amyreneewebb@gmail.com and I’d love to show you what’s in the works :)

That’s all of my updates for now, thanks for keeping up!

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Every month or so I’d like to share a couple of images that inspire recent works. This month I chose these two! My artist statement can only say so much, so these pictures from my camera roll tell another part of the story.

Some big updates: I’ll have work in a group show in Memphis soon. Water Valley in Memphis will be opening March 23rd at Ugly Art Co., hope to see you there!!

“Prepare to be dazzled by the works of Water Valley artists, illuminating the unparalleled breadth of talent in our small town. Uniting seven artists, this group show highlights the remarkable creativity of this informal art colony. This exhibition is an opportunity to connect two communities only a 90 minute drive apart.

Spotlighting artists who have lived or maintained a studio in Water Valley during the last five years, Water Valley in Memphis honors the town’s dynamic present, storied past, and bright future. Participants represent a full range of disciplines, from drawing and painting, to sculpture, photography, and textiles. Their creations tackle themes that resonate on many levels — identity and place, uncertainty and turbulence, healing and joy. Together these works capture the vibrancy of both Water Valley and its artists, who are bound by deep-rooted connections and a shared love of this singular place.”

Speaking of Water Valley, I was so excited to see this feature in Southern Living Magazine about our little town. I’m proud to live among so many talented creatives.

“You don't have to walk far in any direction to see the arts alive and flourishing in other quirky, inspiring ways. Bill Warren, a prolific local painter, creates hand-painted signs and murals that adorn buildings and businesses all over town in his signature style. A number of renowned visual artists reside and keep studio spaces in Water Valley, including award-winning textile artist Coulter Fussell and painters Jonathan Kent Adams, Amy Webb, and James Kane. The town has also been home for artists who've moved to Water Valley from afar, like photographer Carolyn Drake, whose work Knit Club captures the comradery and fellowship of a local women's knitting group.” - Catherine Jesse via Southern Living Mag

There are eight pieces still available through my show at Allgorithim gallery, And editions of works still available on my website. I’m excited to be spending more time making art this year, and looking forward to the Spring show in Memphis. Thanks for keeping up with my art!

I’m excited to announce my upcoming show “Rural Omens”, presented by Allgorithim Gallery. It is currently up for preview on Artsy, and will be online from February 10 to March 10th. Check it out here! Thanks to Allgorithim I was recently featured on Artsy!

Protected Prints are in production right now! Thank you to all who placed an order. If you order now, they will be shipped out very soon with this current batch of orders. Get one now! Link here!

Also in the works! A great new show, Water Valley in Memphis will be opening at Ugly Art Co. on March 23rd. Don’t miss it! End of All Art will be hosting a pop-up there as well, for those interested in picking up some rare art books. I will be exhibiting alongside several of Water Valley’s finest visual artists, though there is so much more talent where that came from in our beloved little town. Coulter Fussell, Erin Austin Abbot, Tori Ellis Smith, Meghan Patton, Brooke Alexander, and myself will be showing work to shed light on the art colony that exists just a 90 minute drive from the Bluff City! Oxford area brewers, Exploradora will be there serving coffee as well. More updates to come as March approaches!

Looking farther into the future, I am preparing for my first solo show with a gallery in Munich in September, and I’m working hard on a body of work to unveil there! In the meantime, I’ve been carving out moments to make small pieces that allow me a way to play with some new ideas! See all six new small works added to my shop.

Below are the original works available on my website! There are a few new prints available as well.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, and Happy New Year!

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Email: amyreneewebb@gmail.com
Website / Full portfolio : amyreneewebb.com

Novel experiences are essential to the creative process and help life slow down a little bit. They force me to be present, and make me a better artist. I can attribute almost every painting I’ve made this year to a “novel experience”.

I had only been to a rodeo once when I was a kid, so I was really excited to go to Ripley, MS with a couple of friends to see one. I absolutely loved it. While it was exciting, I was moved by the violence of the cattle roping competition. I knew the calves weren’t necessarily being hurt, but their fear and discomfort sat with me. I walked up to their enclosure afterward. They were so sweet and approached me with curiosity. It made me think of the medieval Unicorn tapestries on display at the Met Cloisters.

Another new experience I had this year was attending Memphis Porchfest in the Spring. At one of the shows, I witnessed this moment of tension when a wasp landed on a woman sitting in front of me. My friends and I all anxiously stared at the back of her head, deciding not to tell her so that she wouldn’t panic. The wasp sat there for what felt like ages in a hot parking lot while the band in front of us played. 

My Mom bought a house this year. I’ve been so excited for her and her new home; she has so much more space and the ability to make this place her own. With some of this space, she’s now started a uranium glass collection, which is beautifully displayed in a cabinet in her living room. This year, whenever I’ve had a visit coming up, I’ve checked Facebook Marketplace or my local vintage store to see if I can find any uranium glass pieces. I didn’t get to buy these swans but I thought they were incredible. So, they became a painting.

Uranium Glass, my grandmother’s kitsch religious iconography, the red clay of Mississippi, and the uncertainty of agriculture all come together in this piece “She looms”      

Small works, only 6” by 6”, are great for when I want to make something with almost no reference. I carve out some time to play and test something out on a small surface. I loved how these two developed and I think they will serve as inspiration for other works down the line.

Thanks for reading! If you are interested in acquiring any of these pieces please email me at amyreneewebb@gmail.com!

I have finished the piece “I Didn’t Know Until Later…” just last week, and I said in my Instagram caption that there was a funny story behind it. Well, I was working in the studio late one night. The building can feel a little lonely and spooky during those late hours. I noticed a nice opportunity for a painting composition when looking at some keys I’d left on the window sill of my work space. I shot a few images of the window sill, then sat away from the window on my sofa to edit the images in the hopes of finding the perfect painting reference. It was then that I noticed two eyes staring back at me through the window, only now visible in the images on my phone. My stomach dropped, I was so spooked I didn’t want to get up and check the window to see if those glowing eyes were still there… Once I got my boyfriend on the phone, I felt brave enough to go take another look, I then noticed that those two eyes were really just two little flecks of white paint stuck to the window screen… I knew then that this had to become a painting. The piece is available now on my website!

I’m painting a couple other tiny “key studies”. This interest in painting keys began when I was feeling “stuck” in the studio. I remembered my dad’s too-often repeated words of advice: “production is key”. There are many variables in an art career that feel uncontrollable at times, but the creation of new work is the only constant I have. These tiny keys are the first of many more tiny pieces to come. Ahead of my October show at the Delta Arts Alliance, I will be excited to bring many smaller pieces that I think will be easy to collect or give as gifts. My sketchbook is full of ideas that have me looking forward to the rest of the process. I just have to prep all twenty of these small panels first! 

By the way, the studio is open for visits now. I’ve recently hosted my first few visitors over the last few weeks, one being a gallerist from Memphis and a talented artist friend of theirs. It means so much to have a visitor make the trip out to Water Valley. The second visit was from a friend and neighbor, who ended up taking home two lovely pieces. We got to celebrate the installation in her home. It felt good knowing that these artworks came from personal experiences we both shared. If you’d like to get to know more about the art I make and the stories behind it send me an email and we can set up a visit! I have paintings installed all throughout the building, so it feels like an informal gallery of my own.

After Double Decker back in April, I was able to use the funds to invest in a new desk and new lighting for the studio, which has transformed the vibe. I’m so grateful to everyone who came out to see my booth, thank you for the support!

Some other works in progress…

I almost can’t sleep. 

There’s a lot on my mind with this year’s festival. I want my space to be warm and inviting, I want every detail to be excellent, the perfectionist in me begins to show up a lot more. Bear with me if I seem on edge, I’m also optimistic and excited!  However, part of me is eager for the day to be over so that I already know how well these efforts have paid off. Today I’m learning how to embrace the uncertainty and stay in the present, even when big things are on the horizon. 

As an artist in a rural state, it can be a challenge sometimes to grow my network. While I still get to enjoy living in Mississippi, this festival is a great way to have people see my work in person. I get to meet so many folks face-to-face and talk organically about art. I get to feel a bit more connected to my local community. I don’t plan to travel for art festivals, and I don’t view them as a long term career goal. However, it is a pleasure to be a part of something as vibrant and fun as Double Decker! (booth #174, on South Lamar near Insomnia Cookies)

I am grateful right now for the sweet friends at Mulberry Lane (Water Valley) for helping me get the perfect vintage tablecloths for my booth. They’re my favorite resale/vintage store, and just a short walk from the studio. Also, keep an ear out for my voice on 94.7 the Buzz, they came by during my shift at End of All Music to chat briefly about music, art, Double Decker, superpowers, and more. I hope I gave them some fun soundbites.

Memphis, TN:

Memphis, I’m coming for you! I feel like I’ve found something very special in Memphis. In the last few weeks I’ve had the privilege of getting to know several artists there, folks who are making really admirable work! This is the kind of community I miss from being in art school: more people I can trust to give solid critique and inspiration. It adds more support to the great group of artists I already know close to home in Water Valley. There are a couple contemporary galleries in Memphis whose openings have been a blast. It feels like a nice change of pace from my small town, and is usually well worth the 90 minute drive.

In the studio:

I’m a night painter, I get the most painting done from 5pm-10pm. I think this is because I view it as a pleasure more than as “work”. It’s easier to shut out the world after “business hours” and just play! The only snag is that I’m also a morning person, and painting past 10pm makes getting up at 6:30am unhealthy.

There was something a new friend in Memphis described when she saw a painting in an artist’s body of work that looked out of place. She said “some paintings just have to be made, regardless of whether they “fit in” to a larger body of work.” 

That was something I needed to hear. I started a couple pieces that I had initially put off because I couldn’t make it make sense with the other paintings, but now that I’ve started it I can see that was just a silly hang-up. Artists are full of silly hang-ups, most of my work is just trying to dismantle those. 

This week, I’m working primarily on these two pieces (both 11” x 14” inches), and a third piece featuring a blow-mold plastic Madonna lamp. The blow-mold lamps are primarily going to be of religious figures, to help describe the relationship with God we may inherit from family vs the one we build within ourselves. I love speaking on this through the image of something colorful, mass produced, kitsch. The dog and the goose lamp are loosely tied to this theme, but are also a break from it. I’m incorporating a bit more imagery from my experiences as a farm hand, particularly the grassy fields, fence posts, and dogs that are fixtures of the place. The goose lamp is a plastic light fixture that belongs to a dear Memphis friend. Both will be up for sale, $600 each, on my website by the May 4th studio sale. I will also be adding the “35 Seasons” painting (that features the Simpsons on my living room TV) to my website for $2k. That is, if they don’t sell at Double Decker this year!

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Some upcoming events:

DOUBLE DECKER:  April 27th! Booth #174

My booth will be on South Lamar, close to Amy Head Cosmetics!

Come check it out, I’ll have a lot of new work and tons of prints available! Double Decker was fantastic last year! Despite the rainy weather, everyone was in a great mood and I almost sold out of some prints. I’m hoping for better weather this year. 

I’m also planning a studio sale for May 4th!

Keep your eye on my story and my site, I’ll have lots of new listings online (and maybe a discount for those seeing my IG story). 

In the studio, I’m happy to have finally finished “35 Seasons''. This most recent painting features a living room scene with The Simpsons on TV. It’s essentially a sequel to the painting “K.O.T.H. Recovery” which featured King of the Hill. I wanted to see my progress over almost three years, having moved from one living room to another, capturing part of an evening routine. That painting felt like it took forever, there were moments of doubt and frustration as there so often are with big pieces like this, but it had a gratifying outcome. 

I have that piece and my other recent works on my site as prints, available for preorder now! Memphis Professional Imaging has been great to work with, and they make the most amazing, large, high-resolution prints with the most vivid colors. I can’t wait until more of them are produced so they can be shown off! They’re a great way to begin collecting art without needing to break the bank by exclusively buying original paintings. 

That’s all for now, thank you for reading!

I really wanted to announce today that I am having the biggest, highest quality prints made by Memphis Professional Imaging next week. 

If you’ve ever wanted to own a large original painting of mine but don’t have thousands to spend on art right now, this might be perfect for you. A 30” x 40” print (same size as the original larger paintings) on their Fine Art fiber paper is available only on my website for $300. Production is limited to just 30 prints for a few pieces, so get one soon! They’re only available on my site, and I’ll be switching them out with new pieces before too long to keep things fresh. Check it out here!

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I want to offer these prints because one painting may take hours, days, weeks, and selling a large, original piece for $3,000 only does so much to recover the value of that time, the materials used, etc. We’re all facing a really weird economy, and I don’t know many folks in the position to be shelling out thousands for large paintings right now (though if that IS you, congratulations), so this is one way to become a collector of unique fine art without spending too much. Each print is signed, editioned, and shipped by yours truly. If you’re local and want to save $8 on shipping, select “pick up” and come visit my studio!

I’m hoping to organize studio visits/parties this year because it’s fun to share the space behind the work! I’ll keep you posted on the next events, but for now my work is available online, tomorrow’s Casey Jones Blues Festival, and Double Decker in Oxford (April 27th). Happy Friday, see you there!

The first ever Casey Jones Blues Festival in Water Valley is happening very soon. March 23rd is when I’ll set up shop just down the street from the studio to sell prints and a few small original pieces. It makes me happy to see Water Valley adding new events to the calendar! I really love what this small town offers to artists.

DOUBLE DECKER is also on the horizon, my booth will be located on South Lamar, near SOLA. You won’t want to miss it, I’ll be bringing lots of new work. The festival was fantastic last year and I’m so excited to do it again!

It’s been a long winter, and I’ve been taking this time to figure out the next Big Thing. 

Winter was a great time to plan, write, and meditate on some new ideas. I’ve been working on an entirely new show of about twelve paintings (according to my sketchbook), four of which are already finished! I haven’t been posting much more than sneak peeks, but I will be showing this body of work locally when it’s all ready. This is a very new direction for my work that is pretty vulnerable.

One new way of sharing this work is Instagram Reels. I want to use Reels to offer a glimpse into the messy studio, showing how some of these paintings get made and the ideas behind them. Video editing is a learning curve, but there will be more Reels to come. It helps to just think of it as a new medium.

This new work comes from a place of nostalgia and spiritual conflict, and I think most people will have something to gain from seeing it. My hope for 2024 is that I will complete the show with as few hang-ups as possible, but I’ve already gotten in my own way plenty of times. May that Spring optimism carry us all through!

Thanks so much to all that came through to the One Night Stand! I’m so grateful for the connections made that night. 

Since that evening, I’ve FINALLY put together an online art store! 

There have been a few people asking about works they’d seen at the last three shows I’ve done this month. If you didn’t snatch that piece at one of the recent events, this is your chance. In my online art store, there are options to pick up your new piece from my studio, or even have it delivered locally! 

I feel like I’m finally getting the hang of this, now 1.5 years into making art in Water Valley. I’m hoping this site will allow me to stay connected to art-loving people outside of the showing opportunities that pop up in the Fall and Spring. 

In the late Fall, my work at Yokna Bottoms Farm begins to slowly wind down for the season. I’m so happy to have that job, because even with the reduced workload, that regular time spent outdoors keeps seasonal depression at bay. 

I love to use the extra time I have in the colder months to get cozy in the studio, hoping to emerge in the Spring with a lot of new work like last year. Now that I’m on the other side of the big Fall events, I’ll be posting my residency pieces and other new works on social media and in the new Art Store, so keep an eye out! 

To learn more about the history behind this incredible show and the cool curator behind it click here!

I arrived back into Water Valley just two days ago from a two-week residency on M.A.R.S.. The fun acronym stands for MacGown Artist Retreat and Studios. I met the MacGowns (a father and son artist duo) back in 2016 at my very first job, The GumTree Museum of Art in Tupelo, MS.

Since Joe MacGown’s exhibition reception all those years ago, we’ve remained in each other’s orbit like pretty much all artists in Mississippi. It’s been exciting to watch his and his son’s art evolve, along with their home/artists’ paradise out in Sessums, MS. In recent years they’ve managed to erect a new home, a pavilion, a guest cabin, and the beginnings of a gorgeous gallery space on the property. Thanks to Starkville’s Del Rendon Foundation, MacGown secured a grant to host up to four artists-in-residence annually.

During my stay I worked furiously while feeling like I could fully care for myself in mind, body, and spirit. No worrying about bills, day jobs, errands, etc. With no wifi and an abundance of nature surrounding my little temporary home, I felt my only two responsibilities were to commune with nature and make art. This led to me completing eight of my best works in only ten days!

Those works will be unveiled next Saturday at the motel, and sales will go right into funding my studio until the art markets pick up again in the Spring.

And I wouldn’t have it any other way. 

I've always been an artist, but I've only been treating it as a serious career for the past two years since graduating.

Weirdly, it was just three years ago that I was seriously considering diving into museum studies. It was something that I thought might offer a more "stable" future. But then, COVID happened. And I realized that nothing in life is truly stable. So, I said, "Why not chase the dream instead of settling for something close but not quite?"

I’ve learned so much over the past couple of years, but more so I realized how much I still need to learn.

This was all going through my head last week as I set up a new exhibition “We Were Always Here” with friends and fellow artists Lance Yates, Zach Fields, and Jonathan Kent Adams. It’s an honor to be showing with them, they each brought some amazing work. It was also nice to be back in Meek Hall for a day, my former thesis exhibition gallery felt like a safe space for me to exhibit some pieces that felt tough to finish.

Come see our work at Gallery 130! Reception is Sept. 7th at Gallery 130, 5pm. 

Hey! I’ll be at Change Tupelo on September 7th, then heading into the MacGown Residency September 28th until October 12th. I’m thrilled for those two weeks I’ll spend in a cabin on their land outside Starkville, hopefully emerging from it with plenty of fresh work. Big thanks to Joe MacGown for putting together an amazing residency opportunity!

The residency will close with a small exhibition in Starkville, I don’t have the details now, but two days following my leave from the residency will the the Water Valley Art Crawl on October 14th!

It’s gonna give me whiplash! There will be drinks and sneak peaks on my latest works in the studio for those that ask nicely. Tiny, quiet, Water Valley always becomes a bustling scene during the Art Crawl. My work will be in the lobby along side the sweetest fellow artists and neighbors of 20 South Main: Nancy Moore and James Kane.

In case that wasn’t enough for you, one week following THAT is the MOTEL ART SHOW, aka the One Night Stand at the Ole Miss Motel, October 21st. Couldn’t be more thrilled to be a part of this show for the first time! There will be many new works saved exclusively for that show, so if you make it to any of these art events, go there!

Studio Happenings…

I moved into a new studio about a month ago, one with a window! Its just down the hall from my previous spot, but has really changed the game for me. For one, I have more privacy now that I don’t have to keep my door propped open all the time for ventilation.

It’s so quiet and cozy in here that I’ll use it to just get away from the world and have a nap on the sofa sometimes.

I do actually paint in here though… look at that light!

Feeling really grateful for this space and what’s to come. Summer was kind of hard, getting accustomed to the heat at my farming job always takes a toll on how motivated I feel to paint when I get home, but the stamina is returning! I tend to make more work in the cooler months, but having this space has made it easier to stick with the habit of painting daily.

Excited to see you at any of these upcoming shows! Hit me up for a studio visit too, the alone time is nice, but not all the time.

Also, I’ve changed my website! you can check it out here, it’s still a work in progress but a bit sleeker than my last. There will be a store available on it soon!

amyreneewebb.com