Illustrations of the South and Southern culture fill the walls of Southside Gallery in downtown Oxford for the month of October, as Ole Miss alumni William Dunlap and Andrew Blanchard make Southern viewers feel at home at their exhibit entitled “Keeping it Between the Ditches.” Manager of Southside Gallery Will Cook said it’s an excellent exhibit for people who enjoy symbolism.
“I feel like the narrative of the South that they’re trying to tell both have some similarities, but they are also starkly different in how they portray the South,” Cook said.
Dunlap was one of the first artists featured at Southside Gallery when it opened in 1993 and comes back to exhibit his work every two years. He graduated from Ole Miss with a Master of Fine Arts in 1969.
Dunlap uses a mixed media process to create what he calls hypothetical realism — images that aren’t based on real places but could be.
Dunlap firmly believes that art is an enhancer to our lives. He recognizes that one can go a lifetime without enjoying art and be just fine, but with art, life gains quality.
His goal for his viewers is simple: enjoyment.
“The message happens in the making,” Dunlap said. “I make these paintings because I want to see them, and I’m always charmed and shocked that other people want to see them, too.” Blanchard, who graduated with a Master in Fine Arts from Ole Miss in 2004, has been making art for as long as he can remember.
“I knew what I wanted to do pretty young in life,” Blanchard said. “It was destined.”
Working with ink is his specialty as a printmaker. For the past 10 years, Blanchard has dedicated himself to screen printing and has shifted his style to make his art look as if it’s a painting.
A unique trait of Blanchard is that he chooses to use environmentally safe materials to make his artwork.
“That way I don’t have to worry about having a conscience,” he said.
Blanchard often prints his artwork on wood that he finds instead of paper. He notes that not only is the wood free, it’s also great to be able to find a purpose for something that already exists. Blanchard doesn’t take any pictures for his artwork outside of the South, believing that the integrity of the art would be lost. He is satisfied to create art that portrays where the South is, what it means and where it’s going. However, his love of Southern culture wasn’t inherent.
“It took a while to be proud of where I was from,” Blanchard said.
His goal for his viewers is to instill curiosity.
“I want them to be pleased and be able to ask questions,” Blanchard said. “There are a lot of literary references to my work.”
Dunlap and Blanchard are old friends who met here at Ole Miss and were very excited to exhibit their artwork together at Southside. When Dunlap was chosen as the artist-in-residence here at Ole Miss, then-student Blanchard found a great appreciation for Blanchard’s talent and work.
“It’s good to work with someone you admire,” Dunlap said.
“Keeping it Between the Ditches” will be featured at Southside Gallery until Oct. 26.
