soul,
is pictures.”
Henry Ward Beecher
I
n the garden of life, very few
artists have the ability to create a
multitude of emotions with their
brushstrokes. Jerrod Partridge is one
of those who has mastered that gift,
evoking his own soul through his
brushstrokes while creating pieces
that have the ability to make viewers
pause and contemplate the world
around them. Some of his works,
especially his stunning portraits, can
bring a myriad of emotions, ranging
from joy to tears, but it is a certainty
that his creations will be treasured for
generations to come.
rod Partridge
BY
PHOTOS BY
JUDY SMITH
RACHEL KABUKALA
july 2012
27
28
northside sun
Art is so much a part of Jerrod’s spirit and essence
of who he truly is. It’s hard to believe he never really
considered a career in art until he was in college. The
Mobile native moved to Forest with his family while
he was in high school, and he attended Mississippi
College with plans of majoring in biology and minoring in art with the intention of pursuing medical illustration work, but he soon discovered his life’s course
after taking his first art class there.
“That’s when my interest was piqued,” Jerrod said.
“I knew that my heart would always belong to the
arts.”
While in college, Jerrod met artist Bob Pennebaker,
the man he calls his mentor. He credits Pennebaker’s
encouragement and nurturing ways with helping him
to “move forward” as an artist. “Bob really inspired me
as an artist. Training with him was really invaluable.”
Graduating with a degree in art with an emphasis in
graphic design, the Northsider began his career as a
graphic designer, but his heart just wasn’t in it. He
loved the more creative process of drawing and
painting. It was then that he and his wife, high school
sweetheart Jessie, pulled up stakes and headed north
so that Jerrod could pursue his dreams at the New
York Academy of Art, where he received a master’s in
fine art.
“I think the education that I received in New York
really gave me a strong foundation as an artist. The
academy does a great job of combining rigorous
training in traditional technical practices with the pursuit of contemporary conceptual ideas. Art is just like
a sport. You have to practice and exercise to train
your eyes and to learn the strengths of your particular
medium.”
And all that training and work has definitely paid off.
The couple returned to their Mississippi homeland
where Jerrod began to make his mark in the local art
scene. He is often commissioned to create portraits each one showing the true spirit and heart of his subjects.
But Jerrod isn’t limited to portrait painting. He has
the ability to make even the most mundane experience or setting seem beautiful and enchanting.
Drawing inspiration from his everyday life, Jerrod is
often inspired to bring those creations to life through
his work. Whether it’s his painting of dishes in the
sink, a baby asleep on the dryer with clothes waiting
to be folded, or an open refrigerator door, Jerrod
brings out the splendor in the world around us, mak-
ing us stop and take notice of so many things that we
might take for granted or look over. Jerrod makes it a
point to avoid “sentimentality and decoration” in those
“domestic” scenes while focusing on the “magnificence” of the world around him.
“Art for me is how I make sense of the world and
my life,” Jerrod said. “While some people might use
art as an escape, I use it to make some kind of meaning to my world. A pile of clothes piled on the bed
waiting to be folded might seem overwhelming, but I
see things a little differently and try to bring out the
beauty in all of those little moments of my life.”
He also enjoys bringing art into the lives of others
and is able to do that by teaching figure drawing and
portrait drawing classes at Gallery 119 where his artwork is often displayed. He is also an adjunct professor of art at Millsaps College. “His classes are always
full, and the students just rave about him,” Mike
Nunnery, Gallery 119 gallery director, said. “They love
his laid-back approach to teaching, and many people
take his classes several times. He can just bring out
the best in all of his students.”
One artistic aspect Jerrod has explored is the creation of his own paper to form the foundation of his
artwork. After trying out the new skill, Jerrod, a selfproclaimed “obnoxiously obsessive recycler” discovered that he really liked the process and the added
element that the homemade paper brought to his artwork.
“I really like process,” Jerrod said. “I think if you put
a lot of work into your foundation before you put the
brush to the canvas, then you are going to put a little
more care and consideration into what you seek to
create. The more involved I am in the overall process
the more relevant and meaningful the work becomes,
first to me as the artist but then to whomever decides
that they want to live with the work.”
Jerrod’s joy in the creative process is what led him
to design and create his own art studio amid the dapples of sunshine and flowers in the family’s backyard.
With the help of his friend Jimmy Robertson and
other volunteers, Jerrod was able to build the studio
of his dreams. The building is just as artistic as any of
his pieces of art, but there is a rhyme and reason for
everything in the studio. The studio rises to the north
to allow the premium amount of the most “traditional
desirable light” to work by, and the studio practically
glows from the natural light dancing across the studio floor. Jerrod calls the crape myrtle bookshelves,
“Art is a powerful thing, and it is a major part of who I am,” Jerrod said.
“It gets under your skin, and you feel that you have to do it. Each day
I continue to grow as an artist, and that desire to create will never stop.”
july 2012
29
Jerrod Partridge
supported by a single gracefully curving limb a “happy
accident,” and he attributes much of the success of
the studio to his wife for helping him find quality used
materials keeping production costs down. The fairy
lights that twinkle along the walkway leading out of
the studio help to create a simply magical place that
is sure to encourage many wonderful and artful creations to come.
Nestled amid the shady trees in the Fondren district
is where the Partridge family calls home. The couple’s
family includes son, Ren, six; daughter, Mae, four; and
the newest member of the family, Elliot, one. Jessie
homeschools the children, and Jerrod tries to keep
normal working hours in the studio. It’s a balance of
structure and organization that the couple has perfected throughout their lives together.
“We have always worked so well together, and
Jessie has helped to bring that balance to our lives,”
Jerrod said. “Without that, we couldn’t survive.”
Jerrod and Jessie have created a seamless beautiful balancing act in their family. But that is nothing
new for this couple. The Partridge children are fortunate enough to grow up with art being a major part of
their lives. “They love drawing with Daddy,” Jessie
said. “Art for them is just a very normal part of their
lives. They have grown up around it and love being a
part of that world.”
Viewing Herrod’s “domestic scenes” is like a
glimpse into the private world of the Partridge family,
and Jessie enjoys seeing the story of their lives painted in brushstrokes all around them. “Many of the
pieces he does are inspired by our family and our
lives,” Jessie said. “You can always see Jerrod and
our family in the subject matter of his work. His work
shows our place in the world, and that’s really special
to see.”
Amid commissions for portraits and other artwork,
Jerrod’s work continues to be showcased. His painting “Pearl River #5” was featured at the Lauren
Rogers Museum of Art in Laurel as part of the
Mississippi Art Faculty Juried Exhibition, and he will
have a solo exhibition in the Marie Hull Gallery at
Hinds Community College in October titled “Vignettes:
Domestic Scenes of Debatable Significance.”
Through his creative brushstrokes, Partridge continues to bring out the beauty and charm in the simplest
of things, bringing a greater appreciation for the
smallest of pleasures in life, and a higher standard of
art to the historic Fondren art community.
“Jerrod is so incredibly talented and does so much
work in the artist community in Jackson,” Nunnery
said. “He brings a certain level of sophistication to the
art community here, but he remains so humble. His
approach to art will just blow you away.”