Azha Sanders is the first to admit that she is fortunate not only to be an artist, but also to be able to make a living at it.
“It’s the best thing in the whole world, and I don’t take it for granted,” she said.
A tattoo artist for the past 10 years, she loves the work because it is playful. She has also had the opportunity to travel with her art. Although she resides in Jackson, she is currently a tattooist at Forged True in Brookhaven.
Although she has a website, Sanders said she does little to promote herself.
“Clients and artists have mostly heard about me through word of mouth,” she said.
As a matter of fact, that word of mouth is how she found out about her most recent project. Through her work, Sanders has met different artists and one of them told her of the search by the Greater Jackson Arts Council for an artist to paint murals to be installed in the Medgar Evers/Jackson Municipal Airport.
Requirements for the murals were to paint two Mississippi icons. The application process included submitting a painting on one famous Mississippian. She had no trouble deciding whom to paint for her submission.
“I immediately knew I wanted to paint Oprah,” said Sanders. “Oprah is from Kosciusko and has overcome a lot adversity in her life, and that spoke to me.”
It was only after being chosen for the project that she realized the Oprah Winfrey was one of the icons on the list. She feels a kinship with her role model since they are from the same hometown. “I love that Oprah is from Kosciusko. It excited me about the project.”
After choosing Sanders, the Council asked her to paint Tupelo native Elvis Presley as the second mural in the project. The murals are painted on plywood that stands seven feet tall that have been
painstakingly installed in the airport. She credits her fiancé’ Josh Turnage as her number one support throughout the process. “Translating art to plywood of that size is very difficult, and Josh helped me out a lot with choosing the right materials for the job. He assisted in every aspect of the project. The murals couldn’t have happened without him.”
The daughter of the late George Sanders and Sandra Greer, Sanders lists her mom as one of the biggest supporters and influences in her life.
“Mom is also an artist and always encouraged me in my art,” she said before adding that her elementary school education in Kosciusko was important in her development as an artist. “I moved away from Kosciusko in her sixth grade, but I remember excelling at art in school. Everyone was very encouraging to me.”
In addition to family and school, Sanders said her church, First United Methodist in Kosciusko, was influential in her background.
“I remember everyone there encouraged me. I always felt cared for, loved, and I was allowed to express myself,” she said.
Although she has done smaller commissioned pieces — mainly portraits — for people desiring gifts, the murals are her first major installation.
She said she is excited about the project and hopes Oprah will return to Mississippi one day and see the murals.
She is holding on to the dream of meeting her idol one day, but as for Elvis, he has left the airport.
