Mississippi Art Collection:
Warren County Welcome Center – Vicksburg
The Warren County Welcome Center in Vicksburg 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.
Cliff Speaks
Hometown: Flowood, MS
Vicksburg Meets the Blues
This piece was inspired by many local and regional Blues musicians, including Willie Dixon. The painting embodies the spirit of Vicksburg and the rich cultural blues scene that built the area’s culture.
The Red Tops
This painting includes important locations and musicians from the Vicksburg area. The Vicksburg-based Red Tops (1953-1974) entertained dancers with their distinctive mix of blues, jazz, and pop. The group had a devoted fan base across Mississippi and neighboring states. The Red Tops were the most popular band in Mississippi during an era when nightlife was full of dancing and dressing to the nines for a night on the town. The group, part of a long line of dance bands in Vicksburg, started during World War II as the Rebops performing at Mississippi clubs: the Blue Room in Vicksburg, Stevens Rose Room in Jackson, Ruby’s Night Spot in Leland, the Harlem Inn in Winstonville, the Plaza Hotel in Greenwood, and various Elks Lodges.
Red Top musicians are painted here in their iconic red jackets with names of important local places and people tied to the Vicksburg area music scene added between the players including Anderson Cafe, Monte Carlo, Washington Street, Marcus Bottom, and Vicksburg, MS. Additional musicians jam on the canvas that were historically important to the Mississippi music scene, from Johnny Young, Percy Strother, Big Bad Smitty, Little Joe Blue, Walter Barnes, Honey Boy Edwards, Terry Evans and Charlie Patton and local music hot spots Blue Room and Lo’s Kitchen.
As an artist who has painted and been deeply moved by the music and history of Mississippi, it was an honor to honor these individuals and the places through the creation of this piece.
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 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.
H.C. Porter
Hometown: Jackson, MS
Jimmy “Duck” Holmes
This portrait of Jimmy “Duck” Holmes shines a light on the heart of Bentonia, Mississippi, and the rare blues tradition he carries forward. Owner of the historic Blue Front Café, Holmes keeps the haunting sound of the Bentonia blues alive—a style rooted in the legacy of Skip James and passed to him by mentor Jack Owens.
The original mixed-media painting was created for her series, Blues @ Home: Mississippi’s Living Blues Legends. Porter began with her original black-and-white photograph, then transferred the image to paper using the silkscreen print-making process, finally bringing life back to the piece with layers of acrylic paint and Prismacolor pencil. The result is a richly textured, vibrant work that reflects both Holmes’ music and the spirit of the place he calls home, inviting travelers to step inside a living piece of Mississippi’s blues story.
Artist Bio
H.C. Porter is a nationally recognized painter, printmaker, and photographer from Jackson, Mississippi, celebrated for her distinctive mixed media “environmental portraits” that combine photography and printmaking with bold layers of color and texture. For more than three decades, she has captured vivid stories of the people and places that define Mississippi. Her acclaimed Blues @ Home: Mississippi’s Living Blues Legends project documents 31 of the state’s living blues legends, pairing intimate portraits with their own words to preserve a vital piece of cultural heritage. Porter’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, is part of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture collection, and can be experienced year-round at her gallery in downtown Vicksburg.
Rick Anderson
Hometown: Clinton, MS
Vicksburg View of the Mississippi River
This painting depicts an iconic home that sits on the river bluff. You can see it perched upon the cliff from downtown Vicksburg. Beautiful stained glass windows reflect the light from high above the Mississippi River. This piece exemplifies the historic southern architecture found throughout Vicksburg.
Artist Bio
Rick is a lifelong resident of Mississippi. He holds a Master of Art Education degree from Delta State University. His teaching career began in 1970 alongside his professional art career. Rick began entering state, national, and international art competitions. Some highlights include: in 1977, Rick was accepted into the Rutgers National Drawing competition; in 1978, the Rocky Mountain National Water Media Juried Exhibition; in 1978, a semifinalist in the First Annual American Artist Magazine Competition; in 1979, became a signature member of the Southern Watercolor Society. In 1995, after 25 years of teaching art in Mississippi Public Schools, he retired from the classroom to focus full-time on his professional art career.
He continued to enter and be juried into watercolor society exhibitions throughout the United States and abroad. Some of these are, in 2025, watercolor societies of Georgia and Louisiana; and in 2024, Belarus International invitational, Malaysia International, and North West WS International. In 2024–2025, the 46th, 47th, and 48th Southern Watercolor Society, watercolor societies of Alabama, San Diego, and Louisiana. In 2023, Freedom Ukraine International, International 6, Thessaloniki, Greece, Venice International, and Fabriano International. In 2019–2022, National Watercolor Society Member Exhibition, American Watercolor Society Member Exhibition, International 5, Thessaloniki, Greece, Southern Watercolor Society, and National Watercolor Society.
In 2019, he was invited to join FabrianoInAcquarello, an international watercolor organization that originated in Fabriano, Italy. Over 1,200 international watercolor artists meet for a week-long watercolor conference and an exhibition of our original watercolor paintings. The spring of 2025 was his fourth year attending. Also in 2025, he was selected as the USA East Leader of FabrianoInWatercolor. He was honored to have been chosen to have a nine-page feature article in Watercolor Artist Magazine’s 2025 Fall Issue. In 2024, Rick was selected by Daniel Smith Watercolor Materials to be a Daniel Smith Brand Ambassador and as an invited guest demo artist on ZOOM.
Rick owes much of his success to his wife, Merrie. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this past March. They have one son, Denman, who lives and works in New York City.
Susan Wellington
Hometown: Flowood, MS
Windsor Ruins
When I was asked to do a painting for the Vicksburg Welcome Center, my mind immediately went to the Windsor Ruins. I have visited the site many times, but the first time was as a young child. Even at my young age, I was struck by the beauty and mystery of this place. In the painting, I wanted to capture not just the striking geometry of those towering columns but also the haunting silence they hold. They rise from the grass like sentinels of another time—scarred and weathered. As I took reference photos, I was struck by the way the sun slid across their surfaces, how the warm brick and cool stone shifted in color, reminding me of the mansion that once embraced them.
The backdrop of trees felt essential—not simply as a frame, but as a witness to the passage of years. They press in at the edges, reclaiming what man built, yet allowing the ruins to stand as a reminder. The light that falls between the columns is soft but deliberate, illuminating the emptiness where grand walls and windows once stood.
To me, this painting is about endurance and absence in equal measure. The Windsor Ruins are both a monument and a ghost—an echo of ambition and loss—and I wanted each brushstroke to honor that quiet, powerful contradiction.
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 Oil Painters of America, American Impressionist Society, Mississippi Oil Painters Association, 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.
Artist Bio
Tony Davenport
Hometown: Vicksburg, MS
The Vicksburg at Dusk
The inspiration behind this artwork was in celebration of the city of Vicksburg’s Bicentennial. In addition to being known as the River City, Vicksburg has a rich musical history as a hotbed of gospel, blues, bluegrass, and R&B. The concept of the painting consists of a group of musicians performing against the backdrop of The Hotel Vicksburg in Vicksburg, Mississippi. The musicians were painted with their backs to the viewer, to invite the viewer to engage with the inner workings of the composition. The historical context of this painting communicates that The Vicksburg, which opened on the Fourth of July, 1929, was not only fireproof but also, for many years, the tallest building between Memphis and New Orleans. The hotel closed on November 14, 1975. The Vicksburg was sold in 1978, and the conversion into apartments began. Today, the apartments offer a great view of the Mississippi River.
Tony Davenport hails from Vicksburg, Mississippi. Davenport earned his BFA in Fine Arts from Jackson State University in 2002 and received a MAT in Teaching from Memphis College of Art in 2019. Tony is a certified K-12 Visual Arts teacher who has taught visual art in Mississippi and Tennessee for 18 years. As an art educator, he believes that arts integration is vital in teaching children to use creativity to navigate social interaction among people, cultures, and communities.
As an artist, he is tasked to use creativity as a driving force for change. His work is purposed to spark dialogue and awareness concerning issues related to social and cultural relevance. In addition, visual representations are paired with historical and musical references to tell stories that transcend place and time.
His painting style is influenced by the work of artists Ernie Barnes, Norman Rockwell, and Jack Vettriano. Davenport has illustrated magazine covers for the Jackson Free Press and official posters for Mississippi Delta Blues and Heritage Festivals (2006, 2008, 2015 & 2023).
The artist was recently awarded a Visual Artist Fellowship by the Mississippi Arts Commission (2024) and is also on the Artist and Teaching Artist rosters. In addition to being an accomplished artist, Davenport also performs as a live event painter.
Davenport’s creative process is Neo-Mannerism, consisting of painted elongated figures expressing movement and emotion coupled with historic southern landmarks, symbols, icons, and themes. He also incorporates both underpaintings and collages into his compositions, creating the illusion of depth and dimension.
His art is intended to engage the viewer, inviting them to engage with the work’s conceptual thought as an active participant. Moreover, the painted interpretations of locations and figures are not limited to aesthetic appeal; they also challenge the viewer to make connections between what they see, drawing on diverse social and cultural experiences.
