Keeping Our Eye On Carrie Reeves

BY STEPHEN MCDILL

Carrie Reeves has racked up more frequent flyer miles than James Bond.

“When I was four, we moved to Costa Rica so my missionary parents could go to language school and then from there we moved to Colombia and then Ecuador,” Reeves says.

While she never acquired a taste for the coffee, Reeves credits South America with her first experiences in art. “I took lessons from a Colombian water color artist that really developed my ability,” she says. Three art degrees later, Reeves gets to transfer her love of painting and sculpting to students. It has also allowed her to be able to continue traveling the world to learn more about its art history whether that’s the Great Wall of China or the Pyramids.

Scuba diving is another passion of Reeves, who was a marine biology major at Mississippi College before she changed to art. “We just returned from a trip to Costa Rica where we took two students and stayed on the beach for two weeks producing art of the Costa Rican coastline,” she says. From the manta rays to the colonies of sea horses, Reeves says she was blessed with some incredible subject material.

Reeves is an active member of the Vicksburg Art Association and attends First Pentecostal Church of Jackson with her husband.

Carrie Reeves with one of her sculptures in Smith Park in downtown Jackson.

Name: Carrie Reeves

Age: 32

Hometown: Richmond, Ky.

Education: Mississippi College (MFA in Art)

Current position: Professor of Art, Mississippi College

Mississippi’s best kept secret: “Natchez. It’s very quaint and very Southern with its antique shops and river walk.”

Must-have Mississippi food: “The quail appetizer from Sophie’s Restaurant at the Fairview Inn.”

Favorite Hangout: Ross Barnett Reservoir

Favorite TV Show: “I don’t watch TV, I prefer to read.”

Favorite Musical: “The Phantom of the Opera”

Favorite Band: Johann Sebastian Bach

Last book read: “Hell’s Guest” by Glenn Frazier

First job ever: Wal-Mart cashier

Best role model: “Artistically it would have to be                                                                                                         Sam Gore. He’s genuine in his Christian walk and his art                                                                                             making and not swayed by current trends.”