Vicksburg artist Chris Porter, known to locals as the painter behind hundreds of depictions of life and music in the Mississippi Delta and owner of the downtown H.C. Porter Gallery, is seeing strong local support this week after her RV caught fire Wednesday, destroying the vehicle and the artwork it was towing.

Porter was on her way to an art show in Des Moines, Iowa, but only made it around 10 miles down Interstate 20 before she said she noticed the smell of smoke. Only minutes later, her entire RV was consumed by flames as she watched from the roadside.

Porter was uninjured in the incident, but said all of the art she was towing, along with the vehicle itself, was lost in the fire. Although her possessions were insured, Porter also lost any revenue that would have come from the Iowa art show, an event that has become a regular stop for her over the years.

In the days following the incident, the Vicksburg community has stepped up to help Porter. As of Friday, a GoFundMe account to help Porter recoup her losses had already raised more than $7,000.

Porter said the generosity of the people both in Vicksburg and beyond is no surprise to her.

“The outpouring of love and support in the wake of this tragedy has been humbling,” she said. “It is an honor to be part of a community as special as ours that truly comes together to take care of our own in times of need.”

Porter said, despite the losses, she feels lucky to be on the receiving end of the kind of support she has documented across the state following times of extreme loss for others and hopes to turn the accident into a source of inspiration for future artwork.

“I have seen that over and over with the people and tragedies I have documented in this state,” she said. “From the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to the Blues music of Mississippi, our personal experiences and losses sometimes bring the greatest creativity.”

Anyone who would like to contribute to the GoFundMe account for Porter may visit http://gofund.me/c675449c.