Jackson Free Press

Roger Leonard Long has a talent for making his subjects come to life. Some of his subjects such as Prince or even someone's pet look like they're about to jump off the page and into reality.

Long started from his bedroom as a young artist. He was born in Jackson, Tenn., but shortly after his birth, his family moved to Mississippi. Long says he always knew that he was born to be an artist, even at beginning of his matriculation in grade school. "It's what I enjoy doing and how people identified me at a young age," he says. "That's how I fell into it."

He says he realized in pre-school that his artwork was very different from the work of the other kids he shared a classroom with at Ridgeland Elementary School. "I thought everybody could draw the same," Long says. "I didn't know until teachers (displayed) my work that it was different."

Around the age of 13, he won a Scholastic Inc. Art Award for a portrait he did. He says his portraits set him apart from some of the other talented student artists.

Long only took one art class his freshman year of high school. Though he did not take another one, he continued pursuing his craft. After graduating from Madison Central High School in 1997, Long decided to continue his education at Hinds Community College's Raymond campus, where he studied graphic design. After realizing that graphic design was not what he wanted to do, he dropped out and went into business for himself. Using the tools that he was taught at Hinds, Long branded himself and created his career within the four walls of his bedroom.

Photo realism, or the ability to create photo-quality art on a canvas, is his main concentration. His projects often take from 80 to 200 hours to create the final product. Long says he never wanted to do anything quick to make a quick dollar, but to do something breathtaking to make someone willing to pay for with his artwork.

In his work, he does portraits of people and animals and incorporates various backgrounds or their favorite photos. He says he is most known for his portrait of B.B. King and his self-portrait.

Long is also a dancer and teaches kids at Mississippi Metropolitan Ballet, where his wife, Tena, is also a faculty member. Long says that the expressive style of dance is his most favorite and the one he focuses mostly on when creating new choreography to teach his students. "More than technique, I like to say something through my dance," he says.

The dance moves of icons such as Michael Jackson and MC Hammer helped create his love for the art. He began dancing when he was 11 years old after learning the hip-hop dance Kid-n-Play. After taking about a week to learn the steps, his fellow classmates hesitated to teach him any other dances because it took him a little longer to learn the dance. However, that did not stop him from creating dances of his own and showcasing his talents off in a school talent show. Long never took a dance class. He watched his favorites dancers and performers, and did his own research on how the art of dance could affect people.

Long says he plans to keep his business here to give back to other aspiring artists in Mississippi. His advice to those artists is to take criticism and being willing to mold their craft around what people want to see.

For more information, find Roger Leonard Long Portrait Phenomena Studio on Facebook.