South Mississippi husband-and-wife artists to present work at MGCCC JC campus

An exhibit featuring the works of Bobby and Deana Goldsmith will kick off the school year Thursday at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Jackson County campus Fine Arts Gallery in Gautier.

The husband-and-wife artists are residents of Perkinston and their love for the natural beauty of South Mississippi is captured in their work.

Although Bobby Goldsmith grew up on the prairies of Oklahoma, he fell in love with the wildlife and scenery when he moved to Mississippi eight years ago.

Using his kayak, he goes places not typically seen by most people, so that he can bring that experience home to the viewer.

“My hope is that the time spent exploring the great outdoors and composing the images will be felt by the viewer,” he said of his black and white work. “To know that my work touches them the way it touched me is, I think, the greatest achievement.” Bobby’s work exhibits an eye for detail and realism.

“I am blown away by how you can create an image just by changing values. To me, black and white is calming and in this in-your-face world, I think we all appreciate a little calmness.”

Deanna Goldsmith started honing her skills with colored pencil about 14 years ago.

Her blending and lifting techniques give her works a soft yet real look, and she has been published in Colored Pencil Magazine.

“I have always drawn. At a very young age, my father taught me how,” she said. “He was an avid sportsman, so there was an ample supply of Field and Stream magazines for reference material. So, my love for nature and animals goes way back.”

MGCCC Fine Arts instructor and gallery director Marc Poole had the opportunity to see the Goldsmiths’ work at the annual Singing River Arts Association Spring Show in Pascagoula, and he said he was impressed.

“I’m a big fan of technique and their work stood out to me,” Poole said. “They both showcased the things about craftsmanship that I try to reinforce with my students, and looked forward to bringing their work to our gallery.”

The exhibit will open with a reception at 1 p.m. on Thursday at the MGCCC Jackson County Fine Arts Gallery and will run through Sept. 23. Gallery hours are Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

For more information, call 228-497-7684.

This story was originally published August 21, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "South Mississippi husband-and-wife artists to present work at MGCCC JC campus."