BLUE MOUNTAIN, Miss. – Linda Johnson knew there could be no better welcome gift to the new Blue Mountain College president than a painting by Bill Dowdy, the school’s long-time art professor. Johnson just wasn’t sure what the subject matter should be, so she left that decision entirely to Dowdy and Dr. Barbara Childers McMillin, who in August became BMC’s eighth president. After a conversation with the president the professor went to work. “This is just incredible,” Johnson, a BMC alumna, said at the recent unveiling of the acrylic painting portraying a trio of brilliantly white magnolia blossoms in full bloom on a limb thick with deep green leaves. Dr. McMillin agreed. “This is really beautiful,” she said. “It is very special when you consider the subject matter and the artist. Bill Dowdy is a wonderful artist, and Larry and I are honored to have one of his paintings in our home. I hope it’s the first of many.” Johnson, a member of the BMC Board of Trustees and past president of its alumni association, said she knew she wanted a Dowdy painting but she wanted it to be personal.            “When James (her husband) and I were talking about what to do, we just decided to commission Bill and let the two of them work it out. I knew he would do a good job, and this is beautiful.” The Johnsons have several pieces of Dowdy’s work in their home in Germantown, Tenn. “Bill is an excellent artist with any subject matter in just about any medium,” she said. “What better way to welcome the new president than with a piece of artwork by Bill Dowdy?” The painting is also symbolic. Eight of the magnolia trees on the BMC campus are designated as “presidential magnolias,” with plaques naming each one. McMillin’s was planted in November.