Artist Spotlight: Airhead Art

Marilyn Masters Arseneau congratulates Charles Boykin on his

winning painting of musician, Adam Lambert.

BAY SAINT LOUIS, MS- When local floral designer Charles Boykin isn’t busy flirting with fauna at his shop, Adams Loraine Flowers on Highway 90, you can find him creating arrangements of color on canvas.

Boykin, creator of Airhead Art, started drawing portraits when he was eight years old. “My mother would hate it when I drew my vampires and werewolves. She would make me draw other people like my grandfather or my brothers,” he reflected, “I really found I enjoyed drawing celebrities most, especially very colorful people like David Bowie, Madonna, Marilyn Monroe, and Elton John.”

Although accustomed to using pencil, charcoal, and pastels, he was introduced to airbrush watercolor in the summer of 1984 while living in San Diego, California. From that point on, he began studying books on airbrush technique.

After a couple of years of practice, Boykin began selling his artwork in Chicago, Illinois, under the pen name, Shawn Everett. He eventually ended up in Bay Saint Louis, where he switched mediums and became a professional floral designer.

Being a busy business owner, it was difficult finding time for artwork, which took a back seat for years until it was finally resurrected in 2009.

By joining organizations such as The Arts, Hancock County, Boykin found an outlet through which he could not only display his work, but receive feedback and support from other artists as well.

“The Arts gave me a lot of confidence and opened a lot of doors,” he acknowledged. “Joining allowed me to donate my art to various organizations and enter my artwork into galleries and shows, something I had wanted to do all my life.”

He is pictured above with his winning portrait of Adam Lambert, shown at Pearl River Community College’s Wave Gallery in January 2010.

His artwork can be found at Adams Loraine Flower Shop on Highway 90, PRCC’s Wave Gallery until March 18, 2011, and online at etsy.com. Pictures and videos of his work can be found on Facebook under “Airhead Art” and YouTube under the username “chaddbb”.

As seen published in the Seacoast Echo on 2/5/11

Good Times Roll at Wave Gallery

People’s Choice winner, Dot Copeland, and incoming Arts president,

Marilyn Masters Arseneau, discuss works by previous Arts president, Ruth Thompson.

Good Times Roll at Wave Gallery

WAVELAND, MS—Artists and patrons gathered at Pearl River Community College’s Wave Gallery for the opening of their monthly series featuring members of The Arts, Hancock County. This month’s theme, Mardi Gras, set the tone for the event and the artwork.

The lasting partnership between The Arts and PRCC has been fruitful, allowing both the community and its students to take advantage of viewing artwork in its changing gallery.

PRCC art student Alexandria Carter illustrated, “This is my first time ever coming to the Wave Gallery and it’s been a really interesting experience. I’ve gotten the chance to talk to several local artists who explained their works to me and were very helpful. The artists here are very friendly, open, and accepting of everyone. I definitely feel that the arts community is thriving in Hancock County.”

Conversations of color and whispers of secret king cake recipes hummed around the artwork. Delightful music and refreshments engaged the rest of the senses. Entertainment was provided by Ten North Frederick of the Bay Saint Louis Little Theatre.

The non-juried show included works from fifteen Hancock County artists. A “People’s Choice” award was given to the artist with the most votes at the end. This month’s winner was Dot Copeland, with her abstract painting, “City Lights”. The winner receives free entry in the next show, and the five artists with the most votes at the end of the year receive their own five-person show. 

The show marked the beginning and end of an era, as The Arts presidency changed hands from Ruth Thompson to Marilyn Masters Arseneau.

Thompson, the self-proclaimed “benevolent dictator” of The Arts, played a critical role in the development and advancement of community projects. She stated, “Art in a community shows that the people in that community are alive. It makes life worth living.”

The show will hang in the Wave Gallery, located in the PRCC Hancock Center, until March 18, 2011. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday from 10 am.-4 pm.

As seen published in the Seacoast Echo on 2/2/11.