Weaving the Southern Tale
Exhibiting January-March 2025
Weaving the Southern Tale invites you to explore the layered beauty of Southern life, capturing its warmth, complexities, and quiet resilience. Each painting in this collection is a chapter, interwoven with the fabric of landscapes, traditions, and characters that define the region.
Melissa Anderson’s work evokes the vibrant colors of a Georgetown sunset over former rice fields, the interplay of light on a forest path, and the fleeting blooms of hydrangeas that grace summer tables. Her brushstrokes honor not just the landscape but the lives within it—creatures hidden among trees, and the spirits and customs that shape Southern folklore, as seen in paintings like All Bottled Up.
This collection of works also celebrates the quiet moments of Southern culture. Whether it’s the treasured heirlooms of a family Treasure Table, the artistry of women working diligently in Nutmeg Ladies, or the legacy of Mrs. Babbit, whose recipes brought communities together, each piece weaves a narrative of connection. From the grace of steeplechase gatherings to the charm of a green vase filled with blooms, Melissa’s work reflects a region both deeply traditional and ever-evolving.
Through modern impressionist techniques, Anderson transforms everyday Southern scenes into timeless, universal expressions of beauty and memory. Weaving the Southern Tale is more than an exhibition; it’s an invitation to sit a spell, breathe in the stories, and take a piece of the South with you.
fork & plough—
“Above and Beyond”
36x48” // Oil on Canvas
Watching the sun set was a magical inspiration for this painting. This field in Georgetown County was part of 3,500 acres of historic rice fields. Along the SC Santee Delta, these fields had been naturalized, creating a protected ecological landscape perfect for hunting.
“Interwoven”
36 x 36” // Oil on Canvas
This painting was inspired by Congaree National Park. As a college sophomore, we studied the ecology of the Congaree. Little did I know that I would revisit this natural habitat, finding inspiration in the murky water and reaching trees. Hour by hour, the forest evolves. Creatures hidden among trees and underbrush inspire me to bring the canvas to life.
“Seize the Day”
36 x 36” // Oil on Canvas
Nothing like a romp through the woods to invigorate the senses. I love a simple path or river winding through a chaotic stand of trees. From a painting standpoint, my landscapes are an abstraction of the reality. I push color and value to create the shapes. I love the verticals and sometimes diagonals of trees breaking through and reaching up.
“The Green Drape”
24 x 36” // Oil on Canvas
Painting the figure is an honor to the human form. My mind wanders as I search for the shapes and values. With the model, you are wondering - who is she? Where does she come from? Maybe the prim and proper reveals herself with the green drape behind.
“We Are Connected”
18 x 36” // Oil on Canvas
Trees in a forest are unique individuals, but they’re also interdependent. I’ve found that the lives of Southerners tend to follow a similar pattern. This particular group of trees is in a flat, roadside area near Brevard, NC.
“Last Blooms”
30 x 40” // Oil on Canvas
No old garden is complete without a hydrangea. These beautiful blue mopheads grow best with morning sun and afternoon shade. I have a perfect deep blue bush at my backdoor that often finds a place in my summer paintings.
“Mrs. Babbit Got A Fur Coat”
20 x 20” // Oil on Board
Humble and loved by all, Mrs. Babbit is reimagined here with a luxurious fur coat likely favored by the ladies she assisted with their menus for social events among the upper crust. She was known for having thousands of recipes at her fingertips for housewives seeking her help.
“I Believe In Love”
24x30” // Oil on Canvas
Dahlias are a bright spot in hot August. I have many friends who are prize-winning dahlia growers. Lucky Me! The blooms on these exotic flowers range from small buttons to flashy, giant, feathery blooms. I love how the colors interplay between the various varieties that make these beauties so much fun to paint.
“Rumor Has It”
12 x 24” // Oil on Board
No rumor - it was real! Scott and I scored phenomenal seats in Vegas to see Adele. It was AMAZING. What a show! For weeks, I had been listening to Adele in my studio to make sure I was prepped. This painting of zinnias and figs was a fun super-layered painting inspired by Adele belting it out in the background.
“A Little Beyond”
18 x 24” // Oil on Canvas
Inspired by Congaree National Park.
“Around the Bend”
14 x 18” // Oil on Canvas
My first time at a horse race, I was in Louisville at Churchill Downs. Standing at an advantageous place to watch the track was not enough. I wandered, camera in hand, to the rails at the track where I could get a good view of the horses racing towards me. I was hooked - the stampede of hooves and the colorful silks of the jockeys excite me to get to the easel.
“Green Vase”
8 x 8” // Oil on Panel
When a friend offered me this little pot, I jumped on it. I have used it for a little still life or as a vase for a sweet arrangement. I was later told it was a 19th-century Chinese spice pot. With a beautiful white peony, this pot made a great subject.
“Treasure Table”
24 x 30” // Oil on Canvas
Add a feather, take an acorn. This chest of drawers in my studio has become what I refer to as “The Treasure Table.” Its drawers have various oddities that I like to set up for still life. The idea for this take and give came from a dear friend who explained that he grew up with a treasure table at the front door and that you never knew what you might find each day.
“Little Secrets Everywhere”
18 x24” // Oil on Canvas
Inspired by Congaree National Park.
“All Bottled Up”
24 x 36” // Oil on Canvas
These beautiful works of folk art are steeped deep in Southern superstition. Originating in the Congo and eventually spreading to the American South, bottle trees were said to capture spirits until they were destroyed by the sun the next day.
“Peonies for Elizabeth”
20x20” // Oil on Canvas
These bright peonies were a lovely contrast to the silver Dusty Miller foliage. Scattered among candlelight, these turquoise vases with bright flowers set the scene for a beautiful mountain wedding. Repeating the colors in the background was a nod to the flowers.
“Plumped Up”
12 x 12” // Oil on Board
The yellow sofa in my studio is much more tattered than it appears in the painting. Many a friend has come by to sit a spell warming up a spot on the worn damask. Pay attention to the background and you may recognize “The Green Drape” as the backdrop to the painting beside this one.
“Margaret”
12 x 16” // Oil on Canvas
Who’s that girl? Not sure of her name but this girl had a look and I took her photo to work from. When I am sitting at the easel painting, I can look back at the photo and dream up the whole story of this girl in the coffee shop - and then name her. Margaret it is.
“Hostess”
36 x 24” // Oil on Board
In the 1920s, a new bakery in town needed to figure out how to get ladies to buy bread and cakes that weren’t “baked at home.” Claussen’s Bakery came up with the idea of employing “a lady who could assist the housewives with their problems.” This painting envisions the hostess as a lady whose “work is very beneficial to milady in deciding her menus for bridge luncheons, teas,” and any other form of entertainment.