Mississippi Art Collection:
Lauderdale County – Toomsuba Welcome Center
The Lauderdale County Welcome Center in Toomsuba features a curated collection of original works by Mississippi artists that celebrate the cityscapes, history, and culture of the Magnolia State, offering a creative glimpse into Mississippi life. Each of the state’s welcome centers showcases its own unique selection of Mississippi art, giving visitors a distinctive introduction to the creative people and noteworthy places that shape the state. The collection was curated in partnership with Pacesetter Gallery, whose support helps highlight the remarkable talent and vision of Mississippi’s artists.
Andrea Kostyal
Hometown: Hattiesburg, MS
Meridian Downtown Cityscape
My dreamlike painting, Meridian Downtown Cityscape, captures the vibrant downtown area of Meridian, showcasing its beautiful architecture and historic landmarks, including the Three-Foot Hotel, Kress Building, and St. Patrick’s Catholic Church. The lively scene features colorful boutiques and beloved restaurants, such as Weidmann’s, creating a whimsical atmosphere. A carousel of painted horses symbolizes the historic Denzel carousel, a highlight of the public art project. Surrounding these elements are the city’s cultural gems, including the MS Museum of Art and the Max and Temple Theater, all of which contribute to the rich character of this charming town.
Artist Bio
Andrea Kostyal is a studio artist living in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. She is the co-founder of the Singing River Art Studio and the Artists Across Borders artist group. She is currently serving as the visual art coordinator for FestivalSouth.
Originally from and trained in fine art in Hungary. She has been a resident of Hattiesburg for 16 years. For the past 20 years, she has specialized in abstract, dreamlike, mixed-media cityscapes that reflect her interests in unity, diversity, and equality by emphasizing the unique architecture of different places and cultures.
Her paintings have been invited to solo and group exhibitions at the Mississippi Museum of Art, the Meridian Museum of Art, the University of Connecticut, the University of Southern Mississippi, William Carey University, many galleries, and to juried exhibitions regionally, nationwide, and internationally. Her paintings are represented by The Caron Gallery in Tupelo and Laurel.
She teaches workshops on her unique photo transfer technique for organizations and groups around the state. In the past couple of years, she has been commissioned by Main Street Vicksburg and the Hattiesburg Alliance for Public Art to create large murals and paint several utility boxes as public art projects, in which she integrated her design with the specific location and the viewers themselves. She received an Individual Visual Artists fellowship for her Public Art Murals from the Mississippi Arts Commission in 2024.
Cary Haycox
Hometown: Meridian, MS
Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience (The Max)
This piece is unique in that it incorporates a peripheral view of the architecture within the MAX. This painting was created to take you to a select moment in time. The surrounding space begins to merge into view as if you had just walked into the space. Angling upward is a geometric display of color that illustrates a connection to Mississippi and the talents that represent the state. This movement of color and lines develops a path that leads to the many interactive spaces within the MAX and invites you to explore the areas of interest. Flowing from circular floors of wonder, imagination, and experience to an open area that is both inside and outside. Music can be heard from local musicians who add their own bit of artistic audio to the open environment that is the Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience.
Artist Bio
Cary Haycox enjoys experimenting with multiple ways of making art. This tends to lead to an inherent chaotic approach to each work he creates. His current work reflects the constraint of time. Works are created within a three- to four-hour timeframe during events around Meridian. Creating art like this prevents overworking certain areas and allows Cary to focus on the moment, enjoying much success and facing new challenges.
Through this journey, Cary has learned to be confident in his work and leave it as completed, without wanting to make changes later. It has also shown areas for improvement. The works represent a satisfying revelation: Cary is on the right path, and his journey, though not over, is enjoying the many twists and turns that affect all aspects of his world.
Cliff Speaks
Hometown: Flowood, MS
Mississippi Music Makers
Patrice Moncell and Cleo Brown were both well-known performers and entertainers from the Meridian area. This piece is created with vivid colors that tell the story of the colorful, celebrated lives of both women.
Artist Bio
Cliff Speaks is a native of Brandon, Mississippi. Cliff grew up in Mississippi and still calls it home. His art reflects his upbringing in Mississippi. His work features rich integration of art movements such as the Mexican Muralists, Abstract Expressionism, Fauvism, Cubism, and Pop Art. His work draws on the approach of a variety of artists such as Jackson Pollock and Vincent van Gogh.
Cliff arrived at painting through graphic design. This background serves as a bridge, transmuting the realm of the ear into that of the eye. Line, form, and design under the hegemony of color laid down patterns of syncopation, beat, rhythm, melody, harmony, chord, and scale. Instruments, instrumentalists, and music merge into a single visual composition that “sounds” joyful notes to the optic nerves. Cliff says, “I am especially attracted to music. Music is often a theme of my work. I see blues, punks, rockabilly, classical, and soul.”
In addition to his abstract and abstract-figurative paintings, Cliff produces pure figurative works. He is a master of creating visual performance on canvas. The viewer cannot help but recognize the type: self, friend, family members, or a universally known stranger. Cliff’s great affection for Southern culture and imagery is the impetus.
Cliff’s abstract depictions and his figurative representations, both driven by a powerful use of color, endear the archetype, lift it to a joyful and soulful place, and offer to the viewer as refreshment for heart and mind.
Cliff holds a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts degree from the University of Southern Mississippi. Cliff has created commissions for the band Three Doors Down and the Pearl River Casino. His works have appeared in galleries and exhibits from New York to Australia. Cliff works from his studio in Brandon, Mississippi.
Daniel C. Ethridge
Hometown: Meridian, MS
Country Music Trail
This original painting celebrates Meridian, Mississippi, as the hometown of four country music greats whose influence still echoes today. At its heart is Jimmie Rodgers, the legendary “Father of Country Music,” alongside his sister-in-law, Elsie McWilliams, the pioneering songwriter who penned many of his most enduring songs. They are joined by Paul Davis, whose smooth, soulful voice carried Meridian’s sound into pop and R&B, and Moe Bandy, the honky-tonk hitmaker who kept country’s roots alive. Together, they embody the spirit, storytelling, and musical legacy born in Meridian and shared with the world.
Artist Bio
Daniel C. Ethridge, also known as fuzzfur, is a fine artist and lifelong native of Meridian, Mississippi. With over 25 years of experience in the graphic design industry, he now shares his expertise as a Graphic Design Instructor at Meridian Community College. Beyond the classroom, Daniel serves as an art ambassador for his city, exhibiting work and creating murals that celebrate Meridian’s culture and community. As a dedicated working artist, he continues to develop new projects, prepare for upcoming shows, and pursue commissions and creative opportunities that expand his artistic reach.
Susan Wellington
Hometown: Flowood, MS
Dunn’s Falls Diptych
Being asked to paint a scene for a Mississippi Welcome Center has been a huge honor. As I pondered over what to paint for the Lauderdale Center, I thought about the beauty that abounds in Mississippi that is often overlooked. We have so many treasures to see and appreciate dotted around our lovely state, which I am proud to call home. Dunn’s Falls is certainly one of these treasures.
Getting reference photos proved to be quite a challenge. Upon visiting the site, I realized I could not capture “the photo” I wanted to do the site justice. So, I enlisted the help of a dear friend and photographer, Sam King, who had a drone camera. I knew he could get the shot I needed. Using his photos for reference, but taking a bit of artistic license with the seasons and greenery, I set to work.
When I was standing before my easel, I knew my vision for this diptych was for it to feel as if the viewer were stepping into a warm Mississippi afternoon, where the hum of cicadas might mingle with the steady, soothing sound of Dunn’s Falls. On the left canvas, I strove to give the old mill a weathered dignity—its rusted roof catching the sun, its blank windows gazing out over the rushing water as if guarding the history of those who worked here long ago. The slope and stairway pull the viewer’s eye gently down toward the falls, where the two panels meet.
In the right panel, the water becomes the heart of the composition—spilling over the dam and tumbling across sun-warmed rock, and collecting in the cool blue shallows below. The green canopy frames the scene, its varied tones hinting at both the deep shade of forest and the rustle of leaves touched by sunlight. I kept the sky soft and calm, so that the restless motion of the falls would be even more alive.
To me, this work is as much about the quiet endurance of place as it is about the beauty of the landscape—the mill and the falls sharing a conversation that’s been going on for over a century, and now captured in paint for just a moment.
Artist Bio
Born in Sasebo, Japan, and rooted in Mississippi for most of her life, Susan has always felt a deep connection to the South’s landscape and spirit. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Education with a concentration in Art from Mississippi College in 1978. Although life took her away from the studio for many years, she returned to painting with renewed passion once her children were grown—embracing a long-held desire to create and express.
Susan’s artistic journey is one of continuous growth and exploration. Unlike many artists who specialize in a single medium, she has pursued mastery across watercolor, pastel, and oil painting. Her dedication to learning has led her to study under master artists such as Roger Dale Brown, Stephanie Birdsall, and Joe Anna Arnett. She also credits her friend and mentor, Bob Tompkins, for encouraging her development. Deeply inspired by the writings of historic art figures like John Carlson and Edgar Payne, Susan blends classical principles with hands-on experience—especially through painting en plein air, which has transformed the way she sees and interprets the world around her.
Drawing inspiration from the places she knows best—her Mississippi home and the scenes she discovers on her travels—Susan paints from life, striving to capture not only what she sees but also what she feels. Her work seeks to reveal the quiet beauty and subtle color found in each subject, creating a visual narrative that stirs emotion and memory in the viewer.
Susan’s talent and vision have been recognized through awards and juried selections at local, state, and national levels. She has been recognized as a “Fav 15%” winner by the Bold Brush Art Competition and has exhibited in three Oil Painters of America National Shows and two American Impressionist Society National Shows. Her work was recently selected for inclusion in the Degas Pastel Society International show. One of her pieces has been acquired for the permanent collection of the Mississippi Governor’s Mansion, and several have been featured on HGTV’s Home Town. Additional accolades include honors from the Vicksburg Art Association, The Cedars Juried Show, Mississippi Watercolor Grand National Show, Art on the Rez, and Woman Painters of the Southeast.
Susan is an active member of several professional organizations, including the Oil Painters of America, the American Impressionist Society, the Mississippi Oil Painters Association, the Mississippi Plein Air Artists, and the Pastel Society of Mississippi. She holds signature membership in both the Mississippi Watercolor Society and the Degas Pastel Society.
When not painting, Susan enjoys reading, gardening, traveling, and spending cherished time with her husband, children, and grandchildren.
