Art Talk

While living in North Mississippi, I quickly learned that literature is important to this area.
Many famous writers have lived and worked here, and many literary buffs and aspiring writers flock to our region to soak up the atmosphere and history of the place. One of the state’s most famous previous residents, William Faulkner, brings many fans to visit his home, Rowan Oak and also to attend one of the many conferences and events put on each year to celebrate his work.
Every summer the Faulkner and Yoknapat-awpha Conference is held at the University of Mississippi and brings many people to visit and participate. This year’s event will be held July 20-24, and it is a perfect opportunity for local artist, J-Man, to mount his biggest show yet entitled Meet the Faulkers: The Many Fictional Faces of William Faulkner at the Frame Up/Basement Gallery in Oxford. J-Man who also goes by the name, Jason Heavner, has been painting likenesses of Faulkner since 2010.
Viewing some of the new works makes one want to gasp and clap at the same time. There is shock value and a sense of humor that infuses this show with spunk and intelligence. It takes a clever mind to come up with such creative incarnations of the same subject. J-Man achieves just that.
The reception for this show will be on Monday, July 21 from 6-8 p.m., and the exhibit will be up through July 31. Make a point to see this show as these may be the “last ones (he) will ever paint…probably.”