- A self-taught artist, Foose draws much of his inspiration from the landscapes of the Mississippi Delta of the 1950s.
Michael Foose grew up in Tchula, Mississippi, north of Yazoo City, in a house made famous by British author Richard Grant in his best-selling book, Dispatches from Pluto. Foose attended medical school at University Medical Center in Jackson and worked in family practice in Yazoo City for ten years before switching to emergency medicine. He was an emergency room physician until his retirement last year.
A self-taught artist, Foose draws much of his inspiration from the landscapes of the Mississippi Delta of the 1950s. Working in oil and board, his images derive from sturdy compositions and a limited palette. His principal influences have been American tonalist painters of the past two centuries.
The show was held at the farm he shares with his wife, Beth, outside of Carthage. The Little Bluestem Farm is a working flower farm. It is as picturesque as one might imagine a farm that grows flowers to be, with beautiful rolling hills planted with an assortment of blooming flowers.
“I was surprised at the reception I got at the first show last fall,” he says. “We did pretty well, so we decided to do one every six months.”
His second show was held Sunday afternoon. The show was titled “Thirty Paintings,” which was exactly what it was – a collection of thirty oil paintings ranging from a thunderstorm unleashing rain across a stark field to a tornado forming in the distance. In contrast, there was a painting of a simple scene of a lone buffalo on a Wyoming plain with a bright yellow sky and a searing New Mexico sunset.
Foose also painted an assortment of portraits, some very detailed, and others quite simple. From muted earthy colors to vivid saturated palettes, Foose’s talent leaps off the board.
A good crowd made it to the farm for the show. Patrons traveled from Jackson, Ridgeland, Madison, Clinton, Canton and beyond.
Foose plans on having another show in the spring, “if I can get enough paintings done.”
Working on the farm requires a good portion of his time. “There is always something that needs to be done.”
Susan Marquez
