Casteel Gallery to showcase artist Susan Chakiris Busby’s works
Meridian Community College’s Casteel Gallery will feature the work of Mississippi
artist Susan Chakiris Busby from Oct. 7 through Nov. 4.
An opening reception will be held Oct. 7 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the gallery.
Busby is a painter, photographer and longtime art educator whose work is inspired by the landscapes, waterways, colors and textures of the natural world. Her paintings range from impressionistic to abstract and often feature bright colors and layered surfaces.
She has worked in watercolor and acrylic for many years and more recently began creating pieces with cold wax and oil. The process allows her to build layers of color and texture on surfaces such as birch panels and yupo paper.
“My art originates from paying attention to the natural world of light, reflections, shadows, textures and colors that surround us in nature,” Busby said. “I translate what I see in the three-dimensional world onto a two-dimensional surface, focusing on a more impressionistic style.”
A native of Pennsylvania, Busby lived in Arizona before moving to Mississippi. While living in the Phoenix area, she worked as a freelance photographer specializing in commercial and fashion photography and assisted a commercial photographer. She also taught black-and-white photography at the Phoenix Arts and Crafts Center and studied art at Arizona State University.
After moving to Mississippi, Busby earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in art and art education from the University of Southern Mississippi. She taught art for Jones County Schools and helped establish the art program at Nora Davis Magnet School. She also taught as an adjunct professor at USM.
Busby has lived in rural Jones County for more than four decades. Her home and the surrounding landscape have played an important role in her art. She and her late husband built their log home on 38 acres using trees from their property.
Her years spent gardening, raising a family and farm animals, and exploring Mississippi’s woods and waterways continue to influence her work. Time spent along the Gulf Coast, including sailing, fishing and traveling to Cat Island, also shaped the coastal scenes and natural elements found in many of her paintings.
Busby’s work has appeared in exhibitions across Mississippi. She has participated in the Meridian Museum of Art Annual Juried Competition and has exhibited at the Lucile Parker Gallery. Her work has also been included in the Mississippi Art Colony Traveling Show.
She is a member of the Mississippi Art Colony and received the Becky Feder Award for Artistic Achievement. She also has been affiliated with the National Museum of Women in the Arts and is a member of several arts organizations, including the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art, Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art and Mississippi Museum of Art.
Busby continues to live and work in Jones County, where she spends much of her free time painting and gardening.
The Casteel Gallery is open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Friday by appointment. For more information, visit meridiancc.edu/casteelgallery or email ttaylor@meridiancc.edu.