Alumni Spotlight - Vicki Burnett
Vicki Burnett received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication with a concentration in Public Relations in 1986.
Burnett, a native of Louisville, Miss., currently resides in Starkville, Miss., owning her own company, Burnett Art.
Burnett Art is housed in a cozy cottage that was originally her Uncle Al’s grocery storefront in the 1950s. Later, Burnett’s father used the building as his wood-working shop where he made swings and Adirondack chairs. In 2016, Burnett hired a house mover to bring her dad’s shop to her backyard to be used as her art studio.
Burnett Art specializes in painting cowbells as well as some traditional paintings as well. The origins of her painting root back to 1983, when Burnett painted her first cowbell.
“I painted my first cowbell for my late husband in 1983 when we were both undergraduates at MSU. In the summer of 2013, I painted a couple more for some friends and posted them on Facebook. The rest is history. I've painted thousands since then!”
Cowbell canvas: A door prize leads to an enterprise celebrating spirit and special memories
Vicki Burnett will tell you — it all really began with bunco. In May of 2013, Burnett decided to paint a couple of cowbells as door prizes for a gathering of her bunco group. When she shared a photo of the decorated bells on social media, she unintentionally inspired a swell of interest that would eventually evolve into Burnett Art. A torrent of requests for custom bells began to pour in from Bulldog fans anxious to show their true colors in a unique way. Very few days have passed since then that the Starkville artist hasn’t had a cowbell waiting to be painted.
Burnett worked on one Tuesday in her studio. That space is a circa 1940s building that was once her uncle’s general store in Leake County. Her dad later moved it a short distance to his place and made it his wood-working shop. Keeping it in the family, bringing it to Oktibbeha County, was important to Burnett. It’s now a memory-filled, cozy retreat for her to paint, and for family and friends to relax.
Cowbell door prize leads to enterprise
STARKVILLE — Vicki Burnett will tell you — it all really began with bunco. In May of 2013, Burnett decided to paint a couple of cowbells as door prizes for a gathering of her bunco group. When she shared a photo of the decorated bells on social media, she unintentionally inspired a swell of interest that would eventually evolve into Burnett Art. A torrent of requests for custom bells began to pour in from Bulldog fans anxious to show their true colors in a unique way. Very few days have passed since then that the Starkville artist hasn’t had a cowbell waiting to be painted.
Burnett worked on one Tuesday in her studio. That space is a circa 1940s building that was once her uncle’s general store in Leake County. Her dad later moved it a short distance to his place and made it his wood-working shop. Keeping it in the family, bringing it to Oktibbeha County, was important to Burnett. It’s now a memory-filled, cozy retreat for her to paint, and for family and friends to relax.
