My nephew, Joe, in Pennsylvania had a school project. His teacher used the The original Flat Stanley Project, created in 1995 by Dale Hubert. The kids replaced “Stanley” with their name. Flat Joe came by mail to New Orleans for a week’s vacation with the responsibility to go back to school with photos, a letter and souvenir’s of his trip.
Flat Joe is a good demonstration of how New Orleans is child friendly. Joe was only limited in his adventures by his time constraint.
Canal Street StreetcarGetting on the red street carKaty and Flat Joe at NOMAMorning Call (Do you see him?)with his beignetOrdering a snoballPaying for his snoballBubble Gum Snoball!Storyland
at StorylandLayfaette CemeteryPaying his respectsHoney Island Swamp Touruh oh!! Look behind you!President Obama with Flat Stanley
I just added President Obama, because I thought it was cool.
Joe and Flat Joe at home.
So much to do in New Orleans.
Come back soon, Flat Joe! Next time bring regular Joe with you!
Heading into 4th of July weekend. I hope y’all are having a nice summer. I think it is pretty much hot in the United States now, with a few exceptions.
My ginger-haired girl is helping her friend embark on an adventure that leads them out of the swamp. It is the first time for the little gator to see something of the world beyond his home.
Moonlit Walk
On a moonlit night, she hiked up her dress, and together they walked out of the swamp.
The painting is large, 24 x 36 inches, acrylic paint and varnish on canvas.
There is so much to do in New Orleans, I don’t even know where to start.
If you know me, you know that Hansen’s Snobliz is one of my favorite places to be in the summer. Maggie wanted a big Snoball for her birthday sleepover. Wiley made Maggie a gallon-size snoball AND Bryce messaged me photos of the process. Go Hansen’s. Above and beyond.
Snoball 1Snoball 2Snoball 3
The next thing I would like to rave about is Sugar Roots Farm. Maggie and Raffi spent the first week of June at day camp on the farm. It is the most idyllic setting with the nicest people. Shut your eyes and imagine the perfect farm. That is Sugar Roots. Camper spots for this summer are still available.
Maggie and Raffi feeding the animals at Sugar Roots FarmSugar Roots Farm’s Llama
The Pussyfooters were invited to dance at Festigals last Saturday. The dance was difficult. Katy and Christine helped me learn the steps. During the performance, I was coming in a little slow… possibly a beat behind. Lucky for me, Pussyfooters don’t judge. It was super fun. We danced at Harrah’s Casino. I don’t believe I really said that. My daughter, Katy, was a Pussy Handler for the night. She kept the people out of our second line and protected us in general. (I am in the second row, talking to Katy.)
Pussyfooters at Festigal
Festigals raises money to help women with Cancer. One of their big fundraisers is auctioning bras.
I hope you are enjoying the first days of summer. I know it isn’t really summer, but the kids are getting out of school around here and we are starting to get the air heating up followed by the afternoon thunder storms.
Some people have mentioned that I am painting more or faster now. The paintings are just smaller. They are smaller for the same reason I sell prints of my art. If someone likes my work, I want them to be able to afford something. These next two paintings go together (or not). They are 11 x 14 on canvas (smallish). I will sell them for $120 each or both for $225. I like a larger painting because it tells a bigger story. It took a little adjustment in my thoughts to go smaller.
Ballerina Gator
I painted the canvas dark reddish-pink. Then I scraped gesso over the walls with a plastic motel key. Lastly, I “aged” the walls with some Titan Buff paint. I wanted the walls to look like old plaster.
The alligator has always had a dream of performing in a ballet. It looks like it was a huge success.
When I was growing up, I had two small paintings in my bedroom of young ballerinas. I am sure this influenced me.
This is the girl who made the gator’s dreams come true. Sometimes it is nice to share the stage.
Ballerina
May has been very busy. My youngest daughter moved back to New Orleans. My niece from California visited for a week. My oldest daughter graduated from Tulane Law. Maggie turned 7. Now Maggie and Raffi are both between school and summer camp. My sweet darlin’ is basically absent from home because it is the end of his school year.
If you are visiting New Orleans, I think you should make time to go on one of the tours that Christine Miller of Two Chicks Walking Tours offers. My favorite is Drop Dead Sexy. It meets at the visitor center… Marie Laveau’s tomb in St. Louis #1… and hits a bit of Storyville. She will also designs any tour that suits your fancy. Christine is both entertaining and knowledgeable.
Hi all y’all! My mini muse came through for me. I saw a drawing Maggie did in her notebook. I fell in love. The alligator was subtle. I noticed the girl first. She had no color or background, so I asked Maggie to tell me a story about the girl. She said the girl is in a long green dress. The dress is old and her hair is messy. She lives in a swamp. I asked if there were flowers in the background. She said I could paint flowers, but if I did, make it mostly green with both light and dark greens.
Maggie’s Swamp Girl
Maggie and I generally copy each other if we like what we see. I painted a more realistic swamp background, but it made me unhappy. So I painted over-sized leaves and flowers. The painting reminds me of a page in a children’s book.
Swamp Girl
I added the eyelashes on the alligator and the freckles on the girl just like Maggie. I made her dress just a little shorter to show her toes. A friend wrote to me and said I seemed so happy on Facebook and in my blog. She was wondering if life here is really that wonderful. Well, yes. And also, I don’t want my blog to be a downer. I do struggle with waking up in the morning. I am slow to start. It takes at least 2 cups of coffee. I still have to take care of me. I have chores and responsibilities. I eat too many carbs. I need a certain amount of happiness to paint. So some days I don’t paint. I have to try not to compare my art to anyone else’s. While I was looking at realistic swamps, I ran across Adrian Deckbar. Adrian is a local artist that paints more beautiful than a photograph. My heart sinks just a little when I compare myself to others. But then I move on. Even with the ever-present road work on nearly every road, New Orleans rocks. The people are nice. My friends are interesting. I hope, if you are not there already, you find your happy place. I suggest writing down what you want, painting it, dancing it, speaking it every chance you get. There is a vehicle to get you there. lovingly,
I am here to share my most recent paintings. I am showing them in a group, because I paint 4-6 paintings and have them photographed before I sell them. I also share them on Facebook, but not everyone follows me on Facebook.
Accepting New MembersSongbird Singing Songs of LoveJesterGator Jester
Distracted no frameDistracted in cabinet doorDistraction without frameDistraction on cabinet door
The original Distracted and Distraction are sold together. The prints and giclee’s can be sold separately.
You can purchase my paintings on-line in myEtsy shop and Where Y’Art (an artist collective).
My paintings are also in Covington at theWhimmsey Shoppe and on the corner of Julia and Baronne at theM Studio in New Orleans.
Spring is here. And so are two Bohemian Beauties. I didn’t have a reason to paint these women, except that they make me happy.
Bohemian Beauties
I like that they are so different. In color. In shape.
Close up of embellishment
I like the subtle embellishment. I put heavy body gel medium in a stencil, took it off carefully, let it dry, touched it with white paint. The sunflower with my favorite spiral in the center reminds me of a carefree spring.
This is where “They didn’t know we were seeds” started.
Indecision
I ended up painting a deer back in. You can still see the little red bird that I cut out of a Christmas card. Also, part of the fortune. All of the love is still there, it is just buried.
Seeds
I don’t love words on my painting, but words are what this painting is all about.
I resisted painting grasses and flowers because I think the women are as strong as trees
growing in a cool, quiet, magical forest.
The words are writen in an earthy rainbow. “They tried” is streaked in red, like blood… torture, family…
women.
Ending in light yellow with the word, “seeds”.
In the wise words of mini Mags, “Don’t stop until you are happy with it”.
I am happy with it.
Here, in New Orleans and in our family, we are approaching Easter break.
This holiday is drenched in tradition. The in-laws arrive. We visit cousins and cemeteries.
We boil crawfish and eat snoballs.
If a holiday lasts one or two days elsewhere, in New Orleans it lasts a week or two.
Mardi Gras has come and gone (sigh). I signed up to dance with the Pussyfooters at the House of Blues for Friday. I feel pretty lucky.
xx
Saturday is the St. Patrick’s paradeand the St. Joseph’s parade. The parades are very different from each other. The St. Patrick’s parade is in the Irish Channel in the afternoon. Friends who live near the parade route will open their house before and after the parade to offer drinks, snacks, and a bathroom. The floats throw vegetables along with the beads and toys.
The St. Joseph’s parade is in the evening in the French Quarter. My sweet darlin’ is in the Italian American Marching Club. I don’t have a photo to show you, because last time I saw the parade all the Italian men in tuxedos looked the same. I couldn’t find him.
Super Sundayis when the Mardi Gras Indians parade. This is one of those amazing things that is truly New Orleans.
So there you go. A quiet weekend after Mardi Gras.
In my art world… the original Joan of Arc was purchased for the new hospital. I am so excited to have her in a public place.
Joan of Arc
My friend just bought the original Garden Fairyaka City Park Fairy.
Fairy
I am thinking that They didn’t know they were seeds is a learning painting. Learning how I feel about writing on the painting. I have liked words occasionally… in script along the side of the image, bananagrams, Pairs in Pears, a little piece of ripped paper with handwriting…
I made two more attempts to like the painting and call it done.
Words on Organza
I printed on organza. The words shifted slightly.
handwriting
I decided that I do like my handwriting, but I didn’t like the square shape. To be continued…
Raffi had an art show at his pre-school. His teacher is fabulous. When he painted part of the Sistine Chapel ceiling, he laid on his back under a table.
Raffi Rodrigue
Raffi Chagall
Raffi Seurat
Raffi Warhol
Raffi Pollock
Raffi Picasso
Blue Dog 3-D
Raffi O’Keefe
Raffi Matisse
Raffi Van Gogh
I hope all y’all are having a nice end of winter, almost spring.
Today, I am combining my blog and Mardi Gras celebrations. Don’t you think one of the hardest things is to balance? Like balancing work and play, me-time and family, king cake and exercise. From the minute I wake up it is a puzzle to see what I can fit into my day. Give and take.
My recent painting has been fun and frustration. It started like this…
It started like this.
Indecision. I added colors that I liked. I was leaning towards an alligator among lily pads. Then I added Jesus on the cross that Maggie drew, a peace symbol, a note from my sweet darlin’, advice from mini Mags, a movie stub, a fortune, cute little deer. My collage items were all based on love.
Starting Over with a plan
My friend, Rene, posted on Facebook, “They tried to bury us. They didn’t know we were seeds.” I Googled it and found out it was an old saying attributed to nobody in particular. It fit perfectly into my strong women theme.
We were seeds. Completed
I kept very little from the beginning. The colors are still mostly blue and orange. There is a little bird and most of the fortune. I was going to paint a lot of flowers, but the trees looked so strong.
This is what it looks like on the parade route near our house. Only, it will be more crowded tonight.
Our Mardi Gras Crew
My daughter, Angie, sets this all up for us every day. This year I decided to cook dinner and bring it down to the parade. Tonight is red beans and rice.
I am almost done with Songbird. Just a couple of touch-ups left. The bird and song are sealed in varnish. I am going to seal the rest in wax. I want the song to look bright in comparison.
Songbird
It has sort of a graffiti feel. I think that is why I wanted her looking a little bit tough.
Songbird Close-up
I like how the oranges and blues are working off of each other.
Gator Girl Art 