Meridian artist completes Haley Barbour portrait

Meridian artist completes Haley Barbour portrait

Meridian artist Greg Cartmell always tries to put more into his portraits than just a visual inventory.

In his recent commissioned portrait of former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, Cartmell included two prominent images in the background: a portrait of Walter Leake, who served as Mississippi’s third governor (1822-1825) and an ancestor of Barbour. Also, a Biloxi lighthouse, to symbolize Barbour’s significant impact in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

“I’d had several sit downs with the governor before I was commissioned to do his portrait, so I knew his personality,” Cartmell said.

Meridian Start
6/22/12