The Art of Reclamation

Art presents itself in various ways. For Memphis artist Maysey Craddock, the reclamation of abandoned buildings and structures by nature captured her interests as well. A display of her work — Ruin is a Secret Oasis — currently occupies the University of Mississippi art museum.

While seeing the display for the first time herself, Craddock explained part of her process and answered questions.

Starting with her materials, Craddock describes it as old fashioned and labor intensive. All of the paintings available in this exhibit were painted with gouache on paper grocery bags that were sewn together with silk thread by either her or her husband. Our artist also mentions how nice it is to think about where the grocery bags had been before being repurposed. Every now and then, a receipt falls out and gives some insight. Something as simple as a grocery trip can reveal a lot about a person and their lifestyle.

Any of her larger pieces can take anywhere from three to four weeks to complete. Craddock says she starts a painting with a vision in mind, however, her art usually disagrees with her, leading to a back and forth conversation.

“I let the work really teach me where it wants to go,” Maysey Craddock said.

Speaking of going, she spends a lot of time on the Alabama coast and has found her subjects all over not only the coast line, but Mississippi as well. Two paintings in this collection, Dismantled Words and Somewhere South of Violet, actually came out of the same drive. Sometimes her “field trips” are deliberate, but there are other times Craddock says her intuition tells her to stop.

Another painting, Slow Burn, was found on a trip to Jackson, MS. The building consumed by flames inspired the title, but Craddock was burning up herself when she found the site around noon on a hot August day smack in the middle of Mississippi. Our artist expresses the heat from the past, but also her feelings from the sweltering day she stumbled upon it. The heat from a Mississippi summer isn’t something easily forgotten, trust the locals on that one.

Other places of inspiration for Craddock include Memphis, her art studio is located downtown, medieval works, and the romantic landscapes of Caspar David Friedrich.

A big theme Craddock expresses in this collection is the individual confronting themselves in nature. The artist doesn’t draw people, aside from mere doodles, but takes the scene and setting into consideration with her art.

“Humanity is in there, just not the figure,” Maysey Craddock said.

This particular collection is comprised of works from several years ago. The oldest painting coming from 2007 and the most recent crafted in 2012. Loans and shows displayed at the University of Mississippi Museum typically last a semester. Along with Craddock’s exhibit, the museum is currently home to a Greek collection, a traveling show of still life artists titled Unstill Life, and other Egyptian artifacts.

The museum is free for everyone, not just students, so feel free to stop in anytime.

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