Visual artist Tami Curtis expands her reach…all the way to Buc-ee’s.

Photo by Allana J. Barefield

By Jann Darsie

Notes From Ella is presented with support from the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation.

Tami Curtis’ passion for visual art emerged when she was a toddler and first held a fat red pencil. She was wowed by the fact that she could draw the outline of a duck. The fact that she could control the pencil was empowering. From them on, Curtis has been crafting, drawing and creating visual art in some way. 

 Curtis now owns a gallery in Bay St. Louis, where she sells her vibrant depictions of Southern life, not only as original paintings but in prints and on objects such as magnets, postcards and stickers. And with the help of the Ella Project, she recently negotiated an important corporate contract. 

 As a child, she was inspired by her father, Willis Ray Curtis, a self-taught visual artist and her first teacher. He once asked her to look at a crow and describe the colors. She never saw color in the same way again. 

 In high school, she was always “that kid who could draw anything.” She credits both her high school art teachers - her father and Barney Wilson - for what became the foundation of her artistic career.

 She attended Louisiana Tech University and received a bachelor’s degree in arts education. Not being satisfied with just that, she went on to earn a BFA in graphic arts. Armed with these credentials, Curtis landed a job teaching art, first in elementary school and eventually in high school.

 After running an art-based business as well as teaching high school art in Ruston, Louisiana, Curtis felt the pull towards New Orleans, and landed a job at the New Orleans Museum of Art. She developed a curriculum for young people that uses art as a lead-in to subjects such as science, English and math.

 Daily, Curtis was exposed to original, iconic works of art. “There’s nothing like being surrounded with a room of Cézannes to influence one’s sense of color,” she said. She also began seeing live blues performances that informed her work. This led to three prestigious poster commissions each for the French Quarter Festival and the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise.

 Curtis’ talent was recognized by the Blues Hall of Fame, which honored her with a commission of an original work of art depicting Allen Touissant, Dr. John and Professor Longhair for permanent installation in their museum in Memphis.

 In the summer of 2004, Curtis took the plunge to become a full-time working artist with no salary to depend on. As a participant in the New Orleans Arts Council’s (now Arts New Orleans) Arts Market, Curtis had known Ella Project co-founder Gene Meneray for years. She came to him for advice on establishing a business. 

 After she opened her first gallery on Magazine Street, Meneray invited her to be a speaker at one of the arts business seminars he ran. Curtis is a firm believer that artists also have to be business people. “If all you do is produce amazing art, without the marketing, accounting and business plan that it takes to be successful,” she said, “you will always need to have a side job to support yourself.” 

 When Meneray and Ashyle Keaton founded the Ella Project, Curtis followed. “It is such a great resource for artists and so needed,” she exclaimed. She recalled being asked to lead a November 2024 national exhibition for Arts Hancock (of Hancock County, Mississippi) and feeling like she had been “thrown into the fire.” So she reached out to Meneray to be on the selection jury. “As usual, he was so, so helpful,” she said.

Photo by Leslie Johnston

 It was a month later when, out of the blue, she got a call from Larry Smith at Somerset House Publishing. Being suspicious of scams and phishing, Curtis did her research and learned in fact that Somerset is an arts distribution company with a stable of artists whose images are sold to commercial and private clients, including Buc-ee’s, a Texas-based chain of large roadside convenience stores.

 Buc-ee’s, which opened its first Mississippi location in June, is known for its art galleries between the slushy machines and the washrooms. These popular stores feature local artists’ work and are curated to reflect local culture.

 As it happened, an art scout for Buc-ee’s was traveling through Bay St. Louis and stopped in Curtis’ studio. She purchased 20 magnets, three-inch versions of Curtis’ paintings. She brought them to Smith and asked him to get going with a contract.

 By coincidence, Curtis had written in her prayer journal that she wished her work could become part of the chain's art collections. Buc-ee’s artists gain fans and buyers from the thousands of travelers who pass by their galleries daily.

 Curtis called attorney Ashyle Keaton at the Ella Project to review the contract that Somerset had sent her. Curtis’ work is now in seven Buc-ee’s locations in seven states.

 Another issue came up after the company selected a couple of images of Louis Armstrong. At this time the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation was not issuing licensing agreements for intellectual property associated with the famous New Orleans native. This will be a future matter for Curtis, who plans to turn to the Ella Project for legal assistance. 

 Like the works displayed for sale in Buc-ee’s, Curtis’ subjects reflect her Southern heritage and deep roots in Louisiana and the Gulf Coast. Her narrative themes range from iconic musicians and nature scenes to portraits and beloved pets. Her keen sense of color blends with her dynamic use of paint and brushstrokes to produce an artistic statement all her own.

Information on Tami Curtis can be found at her website tamicurtisstudios.com and on Instagram @tamicurtisgallery and Facebook @artisttamicurtis.