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As part of his creative process, Waters uses a handheld mirror, looking periodically at his painting in the mirror. After working on a piece for an extended period, the mirror helps offer a fresh perspective and a more objective view of the painting. (Ben Hillyer / The Natchez Democrat)

Mississippi artist Wyatt Waters braves the wet, frigid temperatures Tuesday afternoon as he paints a watercolor of Glen Auburn, the house on the corner of Commerce and Washington streets. (Ben Hillyer / The Natchez Democrat)

Painting on the corner of Commerce and Washington streets, Wyatt Waters drew the attention of passersby, including Rickey Ross, who stopped by to talk and admire Waters’ work. (Ben Hillyer / The Natchez Democrat)

As part of his creative process, Waters uses a handheld mirror, looking periodically at his painting in the mirror. After working on a piece for an extended period, the mirror helps offer a fresh perspective and a more objective view of the painting. (Ben Hillyer / The Natchez Democrat)

As part of his creative process, Waters uses a handheld mirror, looking periodically at his painting in the mirror. After working on a piece for an extended period, the mirror helps offer a fresh perspective and a more objective view of the painting. (Ben Hillyer / The Natchez Democrat)

(Ben Hillyer / The Natchez Democrat)

Mississippi artist Wyatt Waters braves the wet, frigid temperatures Tuesday afternoon as he paints a watercolor of Glen Auburn, the house on the corner of Commerce and Washington streets. (Ben Hillyer / The Natchez Democrat)

Mississippi artist Wyatt Waters braves the wet, frigid temperatures Tuesday afternoon as he paints a watercolor of Glen Auburn, the house on the corner of Commerce and Washington streets. (Ben Hillyer / The Natchez Democrat)

Painting on the corner of Commerce and Washington streets, Wyatt Waters drew the attention of passersby, including Rickey Ross, who stopped by to talk and admire Waters’ work. (Ben Hillyer / The Natchez Democrat)

Mississippi artist Wyatt Waters braves the wet, frigid temperatures Tuesday afternoon as he paints a watercolor of Glen Auburn, the house on the corner of Commerce and Washington streets. (Ben Hillyer / The Natchez Democrat)

NATCHEZ – Acclaimed watercolor artist Wyatt Waters and his wife, Kristi, love Natchez and they plan to make it home – for themselves and a new gallery showcasing his works in Natchez and along the River Road.

Waters, a native of Brookhaven and graduate of Mississippi College, has been painting in Natchez most of his career.

“I was down there this week to paint Ann Tillman’s home (Glen Auburn) and was noting that at (Trinity Episcopal Church) across the street, I was there in 1995 and wrote in my initials in the concrete heating and cooling pad,” Waters said. “They’re still there. I took a photo.”

Since 1999, Waters has operated an eponymous gallery in Old Towne in Clinton, where he makes his home. The Natchez gallery, which will be located at the corner of Main and Commerce streets in the Arts District of downtown Natchez, is his first outside of Clinton.

“We love Natchez,” said Kristi, in explaining how the gallery came about.

“This is our second marriage for both of us,” Waters added. “And we both were busy with our businesses and careers … we had to get our calendars out to see when we could have a honeymoon.”

That honeymoon brought the couple to Natchez, he said, “and we kept coming back.”

Explaining that “our weekends are not our own,” Waters said he and his wife often would find themselves with open calendars mid-week and make a trip to Natchez to visit.

“It’s just so much fun,” he added.

They began looking for potential studio spaces but had not found the right spot until a chance meeting with Chesney Doyle led them to the Main and Commerce streets location.

“We told Chesney that we’d been looking for a space, but nothing was working out. She said, ‘Can I show you this?’ and we just drove straight down there,” he said. “The rest is going to be history.”

Natchez Mayor Dan Gibson said the arrival of an internationally acclaimed artist is a coup for Natchez.

“It’s not every day a small city like Natchez can celebrate the arrival of an internationally-known artist like Wyatt Waters, ready to take up residence and open a studio and gallery in the heart of our historic downtown,” Gibson said. “I have long been a fan, not just of his art and great books, but of his amazing wit and kind spirit. We are blessed to welcome Wyatt and his lovely wife, Kristi, to Natchez. This has been a dream long in the making, and it has finally come true.”

Waters will open his gallery on the main floor and the couple will use the upstairs apartment as a residence. “We’ll probably be there two or three days a week,” he said. “More in the beginning as we get things going.”

Waters said he is working to build his Natchez portfolio for the gallery, which will feature original works, prints and other museum-quality gift items. In addition to Natchez, the gallery will focus on the Mississippi River and other river areas.

Work is under way in the gallery now, and the couple expects to have a soft opening in mid-February. “We hope to be open full-time by the beginning of March,” Kristi Waters said.

They look forward, as well, to becoming a part of the Natchez community.

“My dad’s side of the family was from the Kingston area – Jersey settlers – and they came here about seven generations ago,” Waters said. “I’m interested in learning more about that history.”

And, of course, they are eager to immerse themselves in the community. “We’ve just joined the Krewe of Phoenix, and we’re looking forward to being involved,” Kristi Waters said.

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