Date: May 1, 2023 | Story: Stephanie Maxwell Newton | Photography: courtesy of Markeith Woods |
Look closely at each of artist Markeith Woods’s paintings and you’ll see him depicted there. Not usually in the most direct sense; it’s not his face in the portrait or his hand holding the paintbrush. Rather, he’s found a way to weave his story through each of his subjects. Now based in Northwest Arkansas, the Pine Bluff native’s process starts with a conversation. After he talks with his subjects—about their backgrounds, their dreams, their goals—he heads back to the studio with a plan. “I think, How can I insert my thoughts and experiences inside this painting, even though it doesn’t actually represent me?”
One aspect of Markeith’s life that shows up again and again in his work is his connection to his hometown, and in particular his experience as an undergrad at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. “I started working at the Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas, and that introduced me to a world of artists and what art could be,” he says. Since then, he’s taught elementary school art, earned his Masters in Fine Art, and completed multiple artist-in-residence programs. His admiration for contemporary influences such as Jordan Casteel have pushed him to zoom out from the tight portraiture of his early work to include the surroundings of his subject as well. “Once I got a little bit more training and practice under my belt, that’s when I made this shift to paint more of the natural environment that my figures occupy,” he says. “I’m thinking about the composition and the location as it relates to me.”
For example, “I Am the Institution” portrays his friend and fellow artist Rashawn Penister seated at an easel, paintbrush in hand. Here, there are surface connections to Markeith’s life that are obvious: both are artists, and both are from Pine Bluff. But deeper meaning is layered into the background. Through the window, the Arts & Science Center celebrates the place that was so instrumental to Markeith’s artistic education. To the left of Rashawn’s canvas, a collaged column of pictures pays tribute to what Markeith calls “a legacy of UAPB artists,” including Kevin Cole, Henri Linton, Ariston Jacks, and an intentional blank space. “I wanted the viewers to engage and imagine who would be that next great artist to come out of Pine Bluff,” he says. Several of Markeith’s works are on view at “Natural Beings,” an exhibition at Bentonville’s Mixd Gallery, through May 24. Find out more about the artist at markeithwoods.com.
Shown above: “I Am the Institution,” 32” x 42” oil and collage on paper
