About

MY ARTIST STATEMENT

My art is a brutally honest exploration of my own psyche and how the outside world effects me and those around me. I intuitively yet methodically create art inspired by my strongest, and often most confusing and subconscious, emotions. These emotions include my feelings about death as a concept and death I have experienced first hand, life and birth as a concept and my own early childhood experiences which have shaped me, my interests in alternative culture and fashion, sexuality, mental illness, psychology, and my own interpersonal relationships. All of these ideas and emotions mixed with the spontaneous and experimental way I use my mediums makes for art that has an overall uncanny nature to it. Still though, I want people to sense elements of humor, playful angst, inner luminous beauty, and pure enjoyment.

MY BIO

I was born April 22nd, 1993 to Richard and Rhonda Herring in the Mississippi Delta city of Grenada. I Grew up until the age of 5 in a small town near Grenada called North Carolton. I have many fond memories of this age and place, the sun shining in my eyes, laughter, warm smells, watching planes fly over head, making silly stick people drawings, playing with snakes and bugs and anthills and mushrooms and mud pies. When I was 5, both my Grandma and my Papaw, my Dads parents, died. My family, including my older brother Asa, then moved to their now empty house in Saltillo, MS. My family has resided there ever since. Growing up in Saltillo, my favorite things to do included exploring nature, which was dense all around me, playing in the lake or creeks, riding four-wheelers, going hunting with my Dad, going shopping in nearby Tupelo with my Mom, playing around with my older brother and younger brother Silas, reading any book I could get my hands on, and of course making art late into the night in my bedroom.

When I was around 8, my parents, mostly my Mom, tried to get my siblings and I into as many extra circular activities as possible. Swimming lessons, guitar lessons, piano lessons, ballet lessons, tap and jazz dance lessons, and art lessons. I must admit swimming was by far my favorite when I was younger, but the main thing that has stuck with me is art. I learned from an early age to have confidence in my creative thoughts and abilities. This is something that I am very grateful for.

In middle school I was accepted into my schools gifted art class. At this point, art was still purely a form of play and not something that I ever considered as a career path. I wanted to be a veterinarian, or a wildlife biologist, or a conservationalist, or a marine biologist, or an entomologist, or a zookeeper, or all of them at once! I have always been interested in many topics, be it my early love of nature all the way to my love of psychology and philosophy that influences my art today.

When I entered high school, I became involved with the schools cross-country team. This sport taught me many life lessons, including never giving up when life gets tough, but it also distracted me from my art for many years. It wasn’t until I was a senior in high school that I picked it back up. At that time I realized I needed to stop trying to fit in with a group and do what I truly loved and was naturally good at. I started spending my entire spare time at school in the art classroom drawing and talking with the art teacher, Mr. Thornton. This is the point that I realized that art would always be an important aspect of my life. Still though, I had yet to decide to pursue it professionally.

After graduating high school in 2011 I moved to Starkville, MS to attend Mississippi State University. Starting out, I declared my major to be psychology, but just for fun I took a drawing I class. At the end of the first semester, my intro to psychology class grade was a C, and my drawing class grade was an A. The switch to art was a logical move for me. I figured I should do what I am best at if I want to make anything of myself.

Being an academic art student has grown my love and appreciation for art and the creative process. Now I feel like it was destiny for me to do this professionally. All that’s left for me now is to stay motivated and optimistic and to MAKE MAKE MAKE! Wish me luck!

MY RESUME
Fine Artist
ajmckinnonherring@gmail.com
mckinnonherring.weebly.com

EDUCATION
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting Fall 2011-May 2016
Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS
Overall GPA: 3.73/4.00

WORK EXPERIENCE
Longest Student Health Center Mural May 2015-June 2015
Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS
Muralist

Received a solo grant to design and paint a mural in MSU’s student health center waiting room.
Presented clients with several small scale options, and collaborated to create the ideal mural.
Completed project before time limit and under budget.

Dave’s Dark Horse Tavern August 2014-February 2015
Starkville, MS
Server

Served patrons and checked IDs
Maintained knowledge of the restaurant’s selections, including beverages, food and specials.

ACR Recovery May 2013-July 2013
Tupelo, MS
Tornado cleanup crew supervisor

Worked 12 hour days, 7 days a week and supervised for the bulk of the projects duration.
Oversaw cleanup efforts and ensured proper conduct.

SKILLS SOFTWARE
Painting: Oil/Watercolor/Acrylic Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator/InDesign
Ceramics Microsoft Word/Excel/PowerPoint
Printmaking: Intalglio
Pastel and Oil Pastel
Charcoal
Pen and Ink
Calligraphy
Sculpture: wood/ metal/ cardboard/fabrics
Encaustic
Mural Work
Digital Photography

REFERENCES
Brent Funderburk

bfunderburk@caad.msstate.edu

Lori Neuenfeldt

lpn20@msstate.edu

Robert Cadenhead

rcadenhead@saffairs.msstate.edu