Though Jeannie Barbour has many accomplishments to be proud of, she said her greatest achievement is her son, Micah Hart.
Barbour and Hart are both Chickasaw citizens and artists. Even though their media and processes are different, they still influence each other’s work and collaborate on a regular basis, bringing their own unique perspectives and experiences to the conversation in an atmosphere of mutual respect.
Barbour, an accomplished and award-winning illustrator, raised her son in the world of art markets and imagination. Even though Barbour had been drawing, painting and making things out of clay since she was a very small child, she said she didn’t really start viewing herself as an artist until she got a job designing illustrations for wearable art for a business in Noble, Oklahoma.
While it took Barbour years to call herself an artist, her son had no such qualms.
“I think my first sentient thought was being an artist,” Hart said.
For Hart, art was a part of everyday life growing up.
“I was a single mom, and I hauled him everywhere I went,” Barbour said. “He went to the art shows with me. We would set up our table, put cloth over it, and he would have all his toys and a pallet underneath. And that’s how we spent a weekend, with him camped out under that table with every kind of famous artist you can think of coming by and chatting.”
At home, Barbour would let her son watch all sorts of movies — as long as they didn’t give him nightmares.
“My mom gave me a pad of paper and a bunch of crayons, and I just remember always trying to recreate those images of what I saw on the TV screen, like aliens or dinosaurs or whatever else,” Hart said. “I was maybe like 3 or 4 but I was always so proud of them. I would rip them off that little pad and tape them up at any open space, like on doors or walls.”
Most of Barbour’s illustrations are based in realism. She said she also enjoys the idea of magical realism, where, as she described, “fantastical things are occurring in real time and the characters within that space look at them as normal.”
In a way, Hart’s earliest artwork, which was encouraged by his mother, brought that sense of magical realism into their home, where his monsters and other creations felt as much a part of the space as the furniture and appliances.
Barbour wrote the story for the movie “Te Ata” and has won multiple awards for her illustrations. She was an Oklahoma Book Awards winner for “Chikasha Stories Volume One, Shared Spirit” in 2012 and Oklahoma Book Awards finalist for “Chikasha Stories Volume Three, Shared Wisdom” in 2014. In 2015, she was a recipient of the Oklahoma Governor’s Arts Award. Though Barbour is a well-respected, accomplished artist and writer, her son’s opinion is important to her, and she views it as collaboration.
“I think we collaborate on most everything that I’ve ever done,” Barbour said. “I’m always asking his opinion on ideas that I’ve come up with because I trust his sense of innovation and his creative process. The way he looks at things is quite different than how I see it, and it gives me something further to think about.”
Innovation is important to Barbour as she is always learning and growing as an artist. Though her historical illustrations are based in realism, her other work is inspired by magical realism and the influences of artists like Edward Hopper and Frida Kahlo. However, as an artist in the 21st century, she is also intrigued by the potential of current technologies and their abilities to create a modern version of magical realism, as seen in the work of Kelly Boesch and Andrea Kowch.
“In every period in history, artists were using what was available to them,” Barbour said.
While Barbour is an illustrator, Hart is a wood sculptor.
“I like to take things that are otherwise dead or rotting — it could be firewood or trash or something you see on the side of the road — and showcasing the beauty inside,” Hart said. “I always have an idea, but I never actually know what I’m going to do until I get into it, because there’s always something hiding beneath the bark. I just let the wood eventually dictate where my tool is going to go in its final form and let the canvas speak for itself.”
Even though they work in different media, they still have a strong creative connection. Just as Barbour comes to her son for his opinion, Hart does the same with his mother.
“I never go to a show or enter in a competition before first consulting my mom because there’s that trust there,” Hart said. “She has a vast knowledge of arts, composition and shows, and she makes valuable contributions to them. I value the things she has to say, and if I’m unsure of a direction or if I made the right decision on something, I’ll have her take a look at it.”
Hart has many shows and competitions coming up. He currently has an exhibit at the Chickasaw Nation Welcome Center in Davis, Oklahoma, as well as pieces in the gallery at the Red Earth Art Center. He is entering the Cherokee Art Market, the Artesian Arts Festival and the Red Earth Festival. He hasn’t applied for the Santa Fe Indian Market yet, but it is on his radar. He said he plans to exhibit and compete as much as he can, just putting his work out there.
Barbour will continue with her own art, including a commission for a poster for the 2026 Chickasaw Annual Meeting and Festival. Barbour said she designed the posters for the Chickasaw Annual Meeting and Festival off and on between 1996 and 2006, but after multiple requests, she is returning to that work this year.
While Barbour continues to create and forge an artistic path forward, her legacy extends beyond her own work through the bond and mutual respect with her son. Barbour set an example that helped shape Hart into the person and artist he is today.
“In some of my earliest memories, she had a full-time job and was going to school to get her master’s, so she was busy, busy, busy, but she still found time every evening after that long day of work to be in her studio, just drawing away,” Hart said. “She would spend hours at a time doing it, and she has rheumatoid arthritis. It’s debilitating, and it’s difficult, and for her to have that perseverance to work through that pain and still create these wonderful, beautiful pieces of art — it’s an inspiration.”
Hart can be found at the Artesian Arts Festival, May 2, which is a great place to purchase Mother’s Day gifts.
The Artesian Arts Festival takes place at the Artesian Plaza, adjacent to The Artesian Hotel and Spa, 1001 W. First St., Sulphur, Oklahoma.
For more information, visit ArtesianArtsFestival.com, email ArtistInfo@Chickasaw.net or contact the Chickasaw Nation Performing and Visual Arts Division at (580) 272-5520.