Uncategorized – Page 6 – Gator Girl Art

NOT FOR SALE

Posted on July 14, 2016July 14, 2016 by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all,

I have declared that I would never visit another plantation.

The plantations I have been to in the past are so sad and have a kind of heavy, clingy feeling to them.

I had to eat my words. I had a fabulous trip to the Whitney Plantation last week. When you come to New Orleans I recommend this tour. It is an honest portrayal of slavery on this plantation. I think it is the truth that makes the air feel breathable there.

This is what happened. This is what it was like for the people in slavery. Somehow, unexplainably, the Whitney Plantation shows the history on the plantation in a way that is bearable and beautiful. The spirits of the people are there and also their names and their personal histories.

Our tour guide grew up 10 miles from the plantation. Because of her last name, it is very likely that her relatives were slaves there. She was entertaining, well spoken, and I could feel how important this history was to her.

mother and child statue

One of many statues of the different children enslaved on Whitney Plantation

I put my Storyville series on hold for a week or so. I decided to paint a young woman who was a slave in Louisiana. I don’t have any information other than her photo. I wish I knew her name. While I was painting her in blacks, browns, buff and white, looking like the early 1900’s, I was smashed with the feeling of present day slavery. Like a ton of bricks.

I started asking everyone who came around too many questions. I couldn’t calm my brain. Did I just want to paint a girl in slavery from the 1900’s because I knew she was free now?

I stayed up late painting. Very late for me, past midnight. I added colors. I thought I added colors in her hair to show depth. I added colors to her dress because I knew I was going to cover her dress with material. The original plan was to glue sack cloth on her dress outline.

The next morning, I saw a slave from the last century in colors. So it is both. Old and continuing slavery.

We can’t deny it.

We shouldn’t deny it if we want the air breathable.

NOT FOR SALE is the name of the painting. The painting is for sale. :) — NOT FOR SALE is the name of the painting. The painting is for sale.

Very truly yours,

Gator Girl

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Lulu White, Storyville Madame

Posted on June 30, 2016 by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

I had an idea to paint mug shots of Storyville prostitutes. I painted Lulu White and enjoyed painting her. She was arrested many times for all manner of things to do with her brothel. She was the madame of Mahogany Hall.

Let me backtrack with the assumption you might not be up on New Orleans history. I am not patient with a lot of details, but I will give it a try.

Storyville was a part of New Orleans, lakeside of Basin Street, between 1897 and 1917 where it was legal to be a prostitute and run a brothel. Prostitution was so legal they had a Blue Book advertising what the different girls offered. Mahogany Hall was an upscale brothel, boasting of Octoroon (1/8th black) prostitutes.

Mahogany Hall is the first building on the right. — Mahogany Hall was the first building on the right.

Lulu seemed like a outgoing, self-made, woman. She was born of two slaves in Alabama, but re-invented herself. She told people she was born in the Caribbean.

Even though I love portraits and I love to paint women, mugshots are a little bit sad. A child born into slavery is also sad. I am going to paint a prostitute or two from Storyville, because the women are beautiful, but I don’t think my heart can manage more than that. On the other hand, I don’t want these women to be forgotten.

This is Lulu White in 1920. It is a mugshot from one of her many arrests. I painted her with acrylic paint and charcoal pencil on 11 x 14 inch canvas. Her shawl was made with Liquitex Gloss Gel and a stencil. I put the gel on with a pallet knife through the holes in the stencil, lifting off the stencil carefully. Then, I let it dry over night. I painted the shawl with blue, orange and gold. (You can always message me for specific colors or more information in general.)

Lulu’s necklace is made to resemble clear glass beads, popular in the 1920’s.

I think she looks sad and annoyed.

Mahogany Hall Stomp for you, Miss Lulu.

Until next time,

Adoringly,

Gator Girl

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QR Codes

Posted on June 9, 2016 by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

I hope your summer is heating up with lots of friends, fun and fabulousness. My sweet darlin’ and I just got back from Philadelphia where our recently graduated god-daughter is going to college in August. We are back in New Orleans for a week, then to California for a family reunion.

I wonder if I caught anyone’s attention with the title. Snooze? This blog is definitely for a limited audience.

You can make a code in 30 seconds at QR Code Monkey for free. QR Code is just a fancy name for a link. I made a QR Code to link to my website. You put these codes on anything you like… T-Shirts, business cards, gallery cards… You just don’t want to put it on a computer screen because you can use a regular link. QR Codes are easy to read with your phone. Download from any number of free QR Code Reader apps for iPhone or Android.

Business-Cards

Once you have a QR Reader app, you can read a QR Code wherever you find one. Now, you will see them everywhere.

This is the back of my new card.

Business-Card-Back

I used a coupon at Moo.com to make my business cards. Moo is not as cheap as Vista Print, but much nicer. Here is a link if you want 10% off of your first order. I feel very good recommending Moo. The paper they use is lovely to touch. They have a fun website and the customer service is nice.

Until next time,

All my love,

Gator Girl

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See Prince in Florida!

Posted on May 26, 2016 by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all,

I have “met” the nicest people. They live in Florida and have purchased 3 paintings. That is not why they are nice. (Well a little bit why.) We have 33 messages between us. I have high hopes for this relationship. They are coming to New Orleans in February 2017.

Seriously, I work alone all day and words of encouragement are priceless.

This is exactly how I met Rene and Amy. It started with a Rene buying Feathered Friends and turned into life-long friends. You can read about Rene and Amy. I highly recommend it. It is one of the coolest things that has happened in my life.

This is Melissa and Phillip’s wall in their house.

The following is how I made the frames. If you aren’t into making frames, feel free to skip this.

I framed the two Prince paintings in red oak plywood. The part you see in the front is nice looking red oak. The sides looked like plywood. I gessoed the sides to mimic the sides of a canvas. Then I painted them black with the same acrylic paint that I used on the paintings.

I bought some purple stain, but the oak was too hard for the stain to sink in like I wanted. I went back to my comfort zone and thinned out some permanent violet dark Golden acrylic paint with Liquitex varnish. I think the color is wonderful. That same violet is in some of the darker areas of the paintings. Lastly, I sealed the frames two times in varnish. Next time, I won’t even shop. I will just use my paints.

The bad news is… even with my new blade, I made a couple of errors in the cutting. It takes some practice to cut enough, but not too much. If you don’t look too closely, you won’t notice.

Melissa and Phillip are happy and that is what I wanted.

And I want all y’all to be happy, too. Let’s have a happy summer.

With loving wishes,

Gator Girl

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Prince and My Latest Paintings

Posted on May 12, 2016 by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all,

I am pretty excited. I had a custom order for a portrait painting of Prince. I was finishing Big Freedia when I received the request. I am still a little hesitant painting real people. I want the subject to like their painting and see themselves in it. Maybe this is just unreasonable. Musicians keep coming up in different ways, so I am going with it.

After I see how big their eyes, nose, ears and mouth are, what shape, how spaced from each other, etc . . . I can just paint what I want.

Anyway, I painted two versions of Prince. I told her to pick one if she was happy with it. She wants both! This is the same person who bought Shotgun Angel. I am so happy that she likes them.

Prince 2 Prince

I told her that I would frame them. I think the framing is going really well, but I am on hold waiting for the photographer. I need the paintings here to finish the frames. Framing is a process for me. It seems that every time something is challenging, I can use that information later. I upgraded my miter saw blade from 40 to 84. The numbers are the size and closeness of the teeth. Because this is new wood, I want the edges to fit smoothly together.

If it sounds like I know what I am talking about, that’s good. 🙂

I planned on only talking about Prince, but I noticed that Paw Paw Gator (aka Grandpa Gator) has never been on-line. I decided to put my last batch of paintings in this blog. This is almost a year of painting, maybe 10 months. They are different sizes and different prices. I have prints for everything. I keep 11 x 14 in stock. Shop Etsy or Where Y’Art.

Down the Road in Violet

The Kiss

Moonlit Walk

Paw Paw Gator

The Holiday

Rollergirls

Ballerina

Gator Ballerina

Big Freedia, the Queen of Bounce

Smoking Rabbit

Shotgun Angel’s Sister

Until next time all y’all,

And good night sweet Prince. May you live on in your music,

Gator Girl

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Queen of Bounce

Posted on May 5, 2016 by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

We just had Jazz Fest in New Orleans. It is a pretty amazing experience with incredible music, delicious food and quality art. Most people talk about Music or Music and Food. I am there #1 for the art. I go one day each weekend, when it isn’t as crowded (not Saturday or Sunday) to see the art. The food vendors are there both weekends, but the artists change. When I need to rest, I stop in and listen to some music. I am pretty sure I am in the minority on this.

Jazz Fest the second weekend was pretty wet.

I am just about finished with the Queen of Bounce aka Big Freedia (pronounced Free-da) I ordered 2 jewels for her crown, amethyst and amber. I am nervous painting a living artist because I really want Big Freedia to relate to and like my painting. I will probably never know.

I choose Big Freedia because I was part of the Guinness Book of World Records for Twerking in 2014.

I woke up one morning and told my family that I had a dream that I needed to help Big Freedia win the twerking world record. My daughter said, I could still participate because it hadn’t happened yet. It was scheduled for later that day or the next day. Surprising everyone, including myself, I went. I am not sure if they counted my sweet darlin’ and me in the final number because you had to be continuously twerking correctly. Fortunately there is no video of that.

Big Freedia was the star of that contest. She is beautiful and her personality is bigger than the sky.

To read Freedia’s background in a snapshot… I found a lot of information on Wikipedia.

Right now, I am painting two paintings of Prince. He had so many looks in all the years he performed, I didn’t want to narrow it down to one. Prince is a commission painting. The same people who bought Shotgun Angel asked me to paint Prince. I am going to show them both of the paintings and they can choose one if they like it. I don’t take money for commissions until after they see the finished painting. Maybe they had a different idea. I don’t want them stuck with something they don’t love.

I’m back to the easel. See ya later alligator,

With a heart full of love,

Gator Girl

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Meet Gator Girl

Posted on April 14, 2016 by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

You probably know me, unless you just started following my blog. Either way, I put together a video of my porch, studio and me. I am using the video in my Etsy Shop. I love feeling like I have a “Shop” and not just a house. I am sometimes in a gallery with Where Y’Art and lately my paintings are hanging out (get it?) at Baldwin, Haspel, Burke & Mayer, a law firm in the Central Business District. Those paintings in the law offices have a better view than I do. By far. They are on the 36th floor and have a view of the bend in the river and the bridge to the west bank.

Many of my paintings are at my house. You are welcome to come by.

Spring has sprung in New Orleans. Jazz Fest is around the corner.

Feeling the love,

Gator Girl

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Living in New Orleans

Posted on April 7, 2016April 7, 2016 by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

Often, I wonder why everyone doesn’t live in New Orleans. New Orleans is the only place I have lived where I have to choose between (often free) things to do. If you live here, you have to turn down parties, festivals, second lines… because you can’t be in two or three places at once.

I am not ordinarily a party girl, sometimes I choose to stay home all weekend and paint. Those times, it is nice that my sweet darlin’ has something to do.

Last weekend several tribes of Mardi Gras Indians were putting on their suits at Bayou St. John in preparation for parading. I am not a big fan of crowds, but I am a big fan of the Mardi Gras Indians. What? No crowds! Mardi Gras Indians are the coolest thing in the city. I thought there wold be huge crowds.

I made a video of the photos David and I took to show y’all.

Until later, alligator!

Gator Girl

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If your rabbit doesn’t smoke…

Posted on March 11, 2016 by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

Spring is upon us and I am here with a public service announcement.

If your rabbit doesn’t smoke, it will have a life expectancy of 9 years (or more). If you are thinking about buying a cute little bunny for Easter, there are some things you need to consider.

They are complex psychologically.

A rabbit is prey. You need to be careful where you pet him or her. If you grab him from his back legs, it will frighten the rabbit. This is not a good first pet for a small child.

They live an average of 9 years. They live longer if they 1. Don’t smoke 2. live indoors 3. see their vet annually and when ill.

So far this is sounding like a commitment you would make to a dog or cat. Pretty big decision.

They like company. 2 rabbits are happier than one.

They like to chew. You will need to put the electrical cords out of reach and baby-proof the receptacles.

If-your-rabbit-doesn't-smoke

This is my rabbit, who does smoke. Unfortunately, his life expectancy is 7.8 years. I have tried to reason with him, but like I said… complex.

He is a fan of Van Gogh and decorated his house to immolate the famous painting. Hanging in the frame is a pair of rabbits in love. They do like a partner.

He is suspicious. I think this might have something to do with his possible exploitation at Easter, as well as his unfortunate position in the food chain.

If you still want to have a rabbit live with you, look at a shelter or rescue. Spay or neuter.

many_rabbits

A rabbit can have babies starting at 6 months old. She can become pregnant within minutes of giving birth. She can have a litter every 28-30 days. Breeding statistics by Dana Krempels, Ph.D.

Wow. Food for thought.

Gator Girl watching out for you and your Easter shopping decisions.

❤

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Billie Holiday didn’t have a sister.

Posted on February 26, 2016 by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

Billie Holiday didn’t have a sister, but if she had one, it would have made her life easier in my opinion. She had a tough time. If being born a black woman in America in 1915 wasn’t hard enough. Her parents were 13 and 15 years old. She worked as a prostitute before she was 14 and died at 44.

I found this out when I was looking to see what Billie Holiday’s sister looked like. No sister.

However, Shotgun Angel does have a sister.

I am painting Shotgun Angel’s Sister for someone who wanted the already in a private collection, Shotgun Angel.

I emailed the owners of Shotgun Angel and asked if they would mind if I painted sequel painting. They were very nice and said congratulations on the commission and please name it something else and change it up a little. I felt free to go ahead and am totally enjoying the sister idea.

My commission guarantee is… if you like it when I’m done, you can buy it at our agreed on price. (I hope they like it.) I painted this for 7 days straight. “Honey, can you make dinner?” I wanted to get it into the group of paintings that were photographed yesterday.

Shotgun Angel's Sister frame wood — Shotgun Angel’s Sister frame wood

From now on I am going to pre-soak the wood for all frames. This wood seemed especially dirty, so I put it in the bathtub with Charlie’s Soap and Oxyclean for about 20 minutes before I scrubbed it. The wood came out looking beautiful.

I bought old skeleton keys on Etsy. I need to take a handle off of something else and add it to this frame.

She is almost complete.

This Easter bunny has a message for all y’all. Stay tuned and you will know what his important message is. He is standing to the side, so I can add the words.

We are between seasons now. Mardi Gras is over. And HANSEN’S SNO BLIZ OPENS TUESDAY! I don’t know anyone who is more excited about this than my sweet darlin’. “Pleeease, I know. Hansen’s opens Tuesday”.

My best regards to every one of you.

With light and love,

Gator Girl