- With creative ideas, Ricardo Moody uses a brush and various mediums to express the events in his life, in the lives of others, and in teaching.
How long has it been since you were in an elementary school library? For me, it has been years. A friend who volunteers at the Presbyterian Christian School (PCS), located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, invited me to go with her. Stepping into the large room, I was ready to go back to school. Why?
Because it was inviting, there were fun activities planned for the next class, and in the corner section, painted on two walls, was a colorful, whimsical mural. In front of the mural is a three-tiered platform where students can sit.
When I was introduced to the librarian, Kimberly Bonner, I asked who had painted the mural. She told me that it was painted by a local artist, Ricardo Moody, in 2023. I asked for his contact information. She grabbed a Post-it note and wrote down his website and Instagram accounts. Later, I would learn he is on staff at PCS as a secondary fine arts Teacher.
What is the story behind the mural? Mrs. Bonner explained that when she asked Ricardo Moody to paint the mural, she wanted specific objects to represent each grade’s read-aloud books. The library book themes are:
- Kindergarten – Fairy Tales
- First Grade – Charlotte’s Web
- Second Grade – Velveteen Rabbit
- Third Grade – Cricket in Times
- Fourth and Fifth Grades – Chronicles of Narnia Series
- Sixth Grade – Leaf Walk
The Leaf Walk is different because it is an actual event. Mrs. Bonner explains, “Mr. Scott Griffith was the principal at the elementary school and started the leaf walk around 1996. Although Scott has recently retired as principal, he continues to teach Bible at PCS and leads the fall 6th-grade leaf walk. Students learn to identify 25 leaves that are mostly indigenous trees, specifically to the Pine Belt. Hattiesburg was built around the timber industry, primarily focused on the production of Yellow Pine. Our trees are an important part of Hattiesburg’s history. He, along with Mrs. Kathi Sutton, the science teacher, continues this tradition today.”
The mural features the Magnolia, Loblolly Pine, and the Oak.
Muralism, Community and Court Art
According to Ricardo Moody’s website and our interview, life began in 1977, in Orlando, Florida. After high school, he went to a community college and worked. In 2000, he decided to make the bold move to Colorado because he wanted to attend an art school. In 2004, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design from the Art Institute of Colorado. While there, he met his wife, originally from Ocean Springs. Around 2012, they decided to move back to the east side of the Mississippi River to be closer to family. Instead of Ocean Springs, they found their new home in Hattiesburg, because his wife received a job offer there.
Ricardo told me, “Technically, I don’t feel like I’m from the South since I grew up in Orlando. But I’ve grown to love the area, love the connections and the friends I’ve Made.”
We talked about the mural at PCS. He shared the following: “Art can bring space to life, especially in murals. I feel like it was a little darker in there, and maybe a little bit more boring in my opinion. I feel like it’s kind of brightened up that space, especially that particular area where the librarian reads to the kids. It’s kind of cool that I think the kids can be immersed in artwork around them, by helping to visually tell some stories that she’s reading to them, or even things that they’re learning in their classroom. It was a neat project to do, especially to collaborate with her (Kimberly Bonner), and there was a lot of positive feedback from the students.”
The opportunity to do a mural came when Ricardo, his wife, and some friends made a trip to Chattanooga. On this excursion, a friend of a friend was a city planner, and when he learned Ricardo wanted to do murals, he connected him with a community center called the Glass House. He returned to Chattanooga in the summer of 2013 and painted his first mural, followed by two more murals over time.
From there, Moody began applying to create murals in other locations. He went to Atlanta several times, completing two murals along the Atlanta Belt Line.
“Then, I was contacted by someone from the city of Hattiesburg to do a mural. Specifically, they wanted students from schools around Hattiesburg to be involved, and they wanted to share this quote by Maya Angelou: ‘This is a wonderful day, I’ve never seen this one before,’” stated Ricardo.
The 18’ x 32’ mural is across from the library in Hattiesburg, commissioned by the Hattiesburg Alliance for Public Art, completed in 2020.
Around that same time frame, there was a call for artists to apply to the Hattiesburg Alliance for Public Art and Hattiesburg Community Arts Center (2020) for a special project. They wanted some type of artwork to go on the floor, a pathway to the drama center. Moody was chosen for this project. The building is now a community arts center for Hattiesburg.
One of the most significant projects that Moody has been involved with is the 2K Foundations for Devin Booker in 2021. He was contacted and asked if he could come up with a design. Instead of Moody designing, Devin Booker got Mr. Cartoon. Moody was brought in to install, along with two brothers who own Project Backboard. The paintings were done on two basketball courts in the Moss Point area. Moody stated that this art project was a significant undertaking in the July extreme heat. Overall, “It was a fun project to do,” said Ricardo.
Ricardo’s murals can also be found on the walls or ceilings in restaurants, hotels, a bagel shop in Pensacola, and at several resorts. You can also find his work in Jackson and Petal.
He also paints on canvas and shows his work at The Caron Gallery located in Laurel and Tupelo. This year, the Gallery had “A Date with an Artist featuring Ricardo Moody” for his newest collection entitled “Wander Over Yonder.”
Hattiesburg’s Featured Artist Gains Notoriety
A few years ago, Ricardo had the opportunity to have his artwork spotlighted on Season 7, Episode 8 of HGTV’s HomeTown. Through that endeavor, he connected with Adam Trest, a fine artist and illustrator from Laurel, who illustrated Erin Napier’s children’s book, The Lantern House.
Trest is also involved with FestivalSouth. He chose Ricardo to be the featured artist for 2025. Ricardo said, “It was an honor to be chosen. FestivalSouth, a month-long event, has been showcasing the arts in Mississippi for almost sixteen years.”
A new gallery opened in Hattiesburg last November, Prospect Gallery, located above Prospect On Main. They asked Ricardo to display his work, his first solo show. He donated a piece of his artwork to Festival South for their auction.
This month, Ricardo will be sharing his talent, utilizing his selection of bright, warm colors, at The Mississippi Art Colony, located at Lake Tiak-O’Khata in Louisville, Mississippi. He is looking forward to this new experience and meeting other artists from around the state.
With creative ideas, Ricardo Moody uses a brush and various mediums to express the events in his life, in the lives of others, and in teaching. To contact Ricardo or to learn more about his work, visit his website here. Follow him on Instagram here.
Laura Lee Leathers
