Currently on display at the Cotton House Hotel
By Jack Criss
The Bolivar Bullet
Oxford resident and artist, Jessica Ellington–by way of her home state of Missouri and having lived in California–has found a true “home” in Mississippi, she said. An impressive display of her work is currently being featured at The Cotton House Hotel in their Fontaine Gallery through June.
“I had a ‘Meet and Greet’ event at The Cotton House on April 4th, which was also when my exhibit opened,” said Ellington, who admitted she was a little out of her comfort zone. “This was my official first exhibit and, honestly, I’m more at home doing my work instead of showing and promoting it,” she laughed. “I’m basically a shy person. But, the response was positive and the people in Cleveland couldn’t be more nice and receptive. I’ve displayed at the Double Decker Festival here in Oxford before, but had never had my own exhibit, so it’s quite exciting.”
Ellington, who moved to Oxford six years after her late husband accepted a position with the Forest Service, incorporated her passion as a business with the creation of Poured Out Art, LLC. “I’ve been a full-time artist through Poured Out Art for about a year and a half now,” she said. “I work out of my home and have people come here to buy, or commission, pieces.”
Mostly working with acrylic paint, Ellington said her favorite method is the mixing of paints to create “flow” or “fluid” works.
“It’s basically manipulating the flow of the paint over the canvas, or object, to make it move in various directions. To do so, I sometimes use a blow-dryer, a straw, my fingers or just tilt the canvas to create the flow of the paint to do what it wants to do. It depends on what I’m looking for. I’ve always loved painting but, again, turned it into a profession when I formally began Poured Out Art.”
Ellington said she’s still figuring out the business side of her art, but sells her existing work and will also take commissions from clients.
“The best way for people to see my art or to contact me is through my Instagram account, which is poured_out_art,” she said. “But, I will have a website up in about a month.”
Her current exhibit at The Cotton House came about when an artist friend in town made the suggestion during a brainstorming session. “She suggested I contact someone there at the hotel and it all fell into place very quickly and easily,” said Ellington. “I was very happy to see the final set-up of the exhibit. The works there are for sale and, again, it will run through the end of June. I was impressed with The Cotton House and it’s a really cool place to have my first exhibit.”
Ellington said she’d like to do more exhibits in the future.
“It’s something I definitely want to pursue,” she said. “Again, though, I’m thankful to currently be in Cleveland. And I’ll say, as someone who wasn’t born in Mississippi and who moved here from California, that I’m very impressed with the art community in Oxford and throughout the state as a whole. It’s great now to be a part of this vibrant and creative community.”