Mississippi College Artists Revisit Costa Rica

Costa Rica seemed like paradise, says Mississippi College art professor Albert Smathers.

Words like “worshipful, creative, relaxing and dreamlike,” summed up the recent visit by a delegation of MC Art Department professors, graduate students and other local artists, he says.

Still, there’s no place like home, Smathers added.

Wrapping up the journey in early June, their trip to Costa Rica wasn’t all about enjoying the time playing on the white sand, taking dips in the clear waters and checking out the wild monkeys.

There was a good deal of work involved as the Mississippi College bunch churned out many pieces of art.

And, “everyone seemed to be inspired,” said Smathers, who made a similar trip to Costa Rica with others in an MC delegation in 2008.

The benefactor and host of the visit again was Dr. Sam Gore’s college friend, architect and businessman H.C. “Pat” Pattillo, who owns a 4,500-acre resort in Costa Rica. Pattillo awards art scholarships to MC students.

“We left Mr. Patillo with some quality art work,” said art professor Carrie Lynn Reeves, who helped coordinate the two-week trip. “I believe we represented Mississippi College very well.”

The MC visitors stayed at an old Costa Rican ranch house owned by Patillo near the beach. Artists like Pam Kinsey and Faye Maynard painted pictures outdoors while sitting in rockers on the front porch.

During the field trip, graduate students, including Kellye Lewis and Jasmine Cole, spent much of their time producing art pieces inspired by their surroundings under the guidance of MC professors.

Reeves said she really loved the beautiful sunsets nearly every night. Even the rainy days had their uplifting moments.

There were challenges, too. “It’s difficult to paint in the rain,” Reeves said. The fans went out at times. There were plenty of mosquito bites reported. And it was seldom quiet for the Mississippi artists. The wild monkeys, parakeets and geckos are can be noisy creatures in Costa Rica and other parts of the globe.

Noisy monkeys roaming the trees woke up the MC visitors early every morning in 2008, so they knew what to expect.

It was a return trip for Reeves, who speaks fluent Spanish. Her language skills were invaluable in a Spanish-speaking country bounded by Nicaragua, Panama, and the Caribbean Sea.

Gore, the former chairman of the MC Art Department, Steve Glaze, a former MC art professor now with Liberty University, and Clinton artist Jeanette Jarmon, who teaches at MC, were among others making the journey.

They turned out great pieces of art, including watercolors of landscapes, views of city life and scenes of fishermen.

Smathers says he was impressed by all the assistance given to the guests by the many ambassadors, guides and other helpers at the resort.

Reeves said the MC delegation hopes to return to Costa Rica in the future for a third trip.

Randy Jolly, director of the Gore Galleries, expects to see an exhibit of their best Costa Rican art next summer on the Clinton campus.

The Mississippi College art exhibit will help bring Costa Rica to Clinton. Costa Rica remains a popular destination point. There were two million visitors reported in 2010.