Pussyfooters – Gator Girl Art

Yemaya

Posted on December 27, 2018 by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

This is my most recent painting. Yemaya, Goddess of the Ocean and the New Year. Click on the link and read all about her.

The Pussyfooters were invited to a Second Line and ceremony for Yemaya about 2 months ago (Fresh Johnson narrates the Second Line video and is a Pussyfooter). This was the first I had heard of Yemaya. We raised money by selling raffle tickets. It was the kind of raffle where you split the pot. Part of the money went for our police escort. You need to have a permit and police to close the streets for the Second Line. Part of the money went for the brass band. Part of the money went for women in Orleans Parish Prison who cannot post bail. Sometimes a woman is sent to the prison because of a traffic ticket that she cannot pay. She doesn’t have any money for bail, her kids are put in foster care, she loses her job, and she waits. Part of the money goes to the lucky winner whose name is drawn. In this case the lucky winner put her winnings in with the bail money. We raised $800.

We had a Second Line to the river where the leader said a beautiful prayer to Yemaya and made offerings of fruit. Eli Mergel took photos.

I wanted to paint Yemaya immediately. I love to paint women. I also like a goddess. I am donating the original painting to the raffle table at Blush Ball. Blush Ball is where the Pussyfooters raise the most money. Anyone can go to the Blush Ball. It costs $40 or $60 a ticket. With the $60 ticket you get in an hour early and drink for free for that hour. It is really fun. The Pussyfooters perform. There is a band and a DJ. And a raffle table where you will find an original Yemaya.

FYI, the Pussyfooters raise money all year for women and children. We usually raise between $20,000 and $30,000 in the year.

That took a lot of words to share my painting. I hope you like her.

Sincerely trying my best,

Gator Girl

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Miskit a Liquid Frisket

Posted on April 6, 2017April 6, 2017 by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

I am trying my hand at a video. My weakest area in vlogging is setting up the camera (my phone). I have little patience for some things. Sometimes, in the video, I wish I had been more patient.

If you paint, Miskit is super fun. The little jar is $15 and if you use your 50% off one item at Michaels, it is $7.50 at checkout.

I have only used Miskit for watercolor before. When you watercolor, you have to save the white areas. It is not like acrylic paint, where you can just add white later. The reason I used Miskit with this painting, is that the face was small compared to the tool I was using. If I got the aftro paint on her face, it would take long time to get her skin color back the way it was. Also, I wanted to only think about the wig, not think about keeping her face clean. Lastly, it was super fun to use.

Can’t Stop the Feeling is a song we danced to all last season.

Tonight is the opening for Soul, Soul, Soul at the Old No. 77 Hotel. I have always wanted to have art in one of the shows there. 3 of my paintings were chosen this time. My friend, Cheryl Grace‘s work is the focal point. If you have time, come by and see the show. It will be there all through Jazz Fest. The hotel is beautiful and is connected to Compère Lapin.

Have a great day!

Gator Girl

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The Pussyfooters have new costumes.

Posted on March 16, 2017March 14, 2017 by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

My cousin, Lisa asked me to paint a new Pussyfooter painting. It seems like a reasonable request because the Pussyfooters have new costumes. We look like superheroes with a “P” on the back of our capes. Lisa is on the costume committee. She is a braver woman than I am.

You can see a pretty good picture of the cape in the first photo. Lots of people took their capes off that day because it was so hot. She has her cape tied around her waist. You can see our logo.

The second photo shows our new pieces.

The painting is in the half done ugly-ish stage. I think I will just show parts of the painting this week.

Painting the Pussyfooters this year is different from the last time I painted Pussyfooters. After 5 seasons, I can feel what it is like being in a parade while I am painting. I am tempted to have a zipper busted open or sweat riveting off a body. I choose to try and capture the joy (for now).

This is the only part I am totally happy with so far. It is a bit small. This will be an afro wig and a tinsel wig. The women are close together, but really they should be an arms length apart. I think it will be called “Let’s Dance”.

This is Here Come the Girls. I painted it 4 years ago. I can tell by the corset.

Here Come the Girls_@120 — Here Come the Girls

We are all a little sad about the season being over. I have to go to the rec center to exercise now… and I mean now

With gratitude and best wishes,

Gator Girl

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A Couple of Illustration Changes

Posted on March 1, 2017March 8, 2017 by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

A fabulous Mardi Gras came and went in the Crescent City. The weather was in the 70’s and breezy. The weather is kind of a big deal, because whether you are in a parade or watching one, you are outdoors for many, many hours. I am always amazed that I can finish a parade. It turns out to be around 17 miles when you count all of the dancing in place when the parade stops. (Some of the women had Fitbits.)

Here are the Pussyfooters during a pause in Femme Fatale. Eli Mergel took the photo. (click on “Eli Mergel” to see lots of wonderful photography.) There are about 120 Pussyfooters in total. About 50 women did this parade.

This is my sweet darlin’ and me on Mardi Gras day. We parked across the river and took the ferry. Excellent idea.

I revised two pages for the Not-Yet-Revealed author. I like both pages better now.

Pop is dressed more maturely. He is also wearing a wedding ring.

Poppee has grey hair and his goatee is narrower and longer. I like Poppee better, too. I made his eyebrows less prominent while I was adjusting his look. I appreciate a man with good grooming.

I think there is a pause here with the book. I am going to schedule photos of the first 5 pages. The author is going to send these beginning pages to publishers. I hear that publishers want to see 3-5 pages. I hope a publisher is going to love the book and grab it up without too many changes. I will let you know as soon as I do.

Today is the first day of Lent. I am just going to try to be an all around better person. Like making a conscious effort to be more Zen and less reactive.

How about you?

With hope and anticipation for the future,

Gator Girl

Book, Uncategorized

Page 5, Poppee!

Posted on February 17, 2017February 17, 2017 by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

Happy Mardi Gras! The first uptown parade is today!

This is me on the front page of the Times-Picayune! (I must be excited because I already used 3 exclamation marks.) The Pussyfooters were the first women’s dance troupe. We started in 2001. My favorite parts about being a Pussyfooter, aside from becoming famous, are that I dance for women who can’t and we raise money every year for the Metropolitan Center for women and children. This year we raised $38,000.

Page 5 of the book is Poppee.

He is grandpa to the baby.

In the painting are some New Orleans icons. On the shelf behind Poppee are cups from . Coffee with chicory and beignets are often the first stop in the French Quarter for visitors to our city. It is open 24 hours.

He is stirring a pot of gumbo and holding a gumbo bowl, with a smaller pot for white rice on the other burner. Next to the stove top are an onion, green bell pepper, and celery. These three vegetables are called the Holy Trinity. The trinity is in most New Orleans dishes… jambalya, étouffée, gumbo…

I wanted to capture the love in Poppee’s expression when baby walks into the room. I like the repeating rectangle pattern in the basket and bricks. I was going to paint Poppee’s shirt in a check print, but thought that would be too distracting. (I still want to.) My favorite parts of the painting are the cups and the trinity.

Poppee is the last of the human characters in the book. You have met them all now.

In lewdness and proudness,

Gator Girl

Uncategorized

Rollergirls

Posted on February 4, 2016February 4, 2016 by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

Happy Mardi Gras! I would normally be working on a Mardi Gras painting because I am moved by the seasons… Mardi Gras, Crawfish, Snoballs and Football.

I wanted to finished Rollergirls for any roller derby fans.

I love roller derby. I wish I was brave and tough enough to skate like that. This painting is loosely modeled after the Big Easy Rollergirls. The floor in the painting is more like a gym floor, but their colors are black and gold. The crowd is very close to the players and the fans from both sides are dispersed throughout. I took some artist’s prerogative. The gator is the jammer. That is why she has a star on her helmet. The other team is trying to block our star player. It is just becoming apparent to the crowd that Ms Gator has a winning move.

Every time I came back to this painting, I wanted to change someone’s expression or skin color. The 15 spectators took more time to paint than the rollergirls. I am not really this patient unless I want to complete a vision.

Can you find Brad and Dellwen from Brad and Dellwen’s Flag Party on Magazine Street in the painting? (The photo is from NOLA.com) It is a mystery to me why I choose people to paint. Many of the spectators just have the attitude of people I know, they don’t represent them physically.

20160201_171255

I am going to the airport to pick up my friend from California for her first Mardi Gras! Muses rolls tonight! Muses is my favorite parade. I love that it is a women’s krewe. They have great throws and are generous. The Pussyfooters are dancing tonight, but I am going to be a spectator cheering my pink sisters on. I hope to see you on the Avenue.

Happy Mardi Gras!

Gator Girl

Uncategorized

a snoball, a farm, and a bra

Posted on June 20, 2015June 20, 2015 by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

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.

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.

Sugar Roots Farm's Llama — Sugar 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.)

Festigals raises money to help women with Cancer. One of their big fundraisers is auctioning bras.

This is the bra that Christine of Two Chicks Walking Tours commissioned for the fundraiser. Courtney Bullock made it.

I am working on a new painting, but I am not ready to put it on-line yet.

I hope all y’all are having a great summer.

With loving abundance,

Gator Girl

Uncategorized

Songbird

Posted on January 6, 2015January 7, 2015 by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

I thought I would welcome the New Year in with a little songbird. I had a plan to paint an alligator swimming among lily pads. I prepped a large canvas for this painting before Christmas.

When I got back into the studio, I felt like playing with art. I painted a few layers of abstract strokes and my favorite symbols. The key to playing with paint like this is to stick with the same temperature of colors in each layer and let the layer dry before the next layer.

I started with yellow, orange and red.

Then blues and greens.

Back to warm colors.

The fun part really begins when I added white.

Then black. I think white and black look great side by side.

I used a BIG canvas to let the New Year know that I am allowed to use materials however I want.

I wanted a woman. So I painted a face shape with white gesso over the part of the painting that I liked least.

The rest was going to be hair, but the hair was just too big. I liked the rainbow colors in what is now the tail feathers of the bird as well as the breast area.

It was hard to paint out areas I still liked. I was happy to paint over areas that looked like big blotches.

I kind of want to keep her blue, but I might give her flesh tones. Leaning towards a natural skin tone.

I smoothed over the gesso with a plastic hotel key card.

The Blush Ball is this Friday. If you want to come, contact me. The tickets are $40 and $60 dollars. We are raising money for women with children who need to get to a safe place and start over.

You can also buy raffle tickets.

If you can’t attend, I will deliver your winnings.

All for a good cause.

Happy New Year!

Wishing you the best.

Gator Girl

Uncategorized

Distraction

Posted on December 8, 2014December 8, 2014 by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

Welcome to super busy December.

Jingle Parade 2014, photo by Karen Ocker

The Jingle Parade is super fun. You can tell by how many Pussyfooter’s wanted to do it. Mr. Bingle is the snowman in the middle.

Mr. Bingle is famous in New Orleans.

Among many distractions, I finished “Distraction”, my first duo painting. The women are in a coffee shop at different tables. One woman is distracted by the humming-bird hovering over the flowers in the second woman’s hair.

Distracted

I just entered them in a mixed media competition.

I used a ton of mixed media… acrylic paint, Silks Acrylic Paint, foil, paper, lace, thread, gesso, matte gel, Gilders Paste, charcoal pencil, varnish on reclaimed cabinet doors. The competition is to tell a story with your painting. Click on the logo if you want to enter.

Here are close-ups of my favorite parts. I had this lace collar since I was maybe 12. It has been in my sewing basket for more than 40 years. I trimmed it and inserted it into her sweater using matte gel.

I painted embossed paper. Then I top-stitched it on my sewing machine. Sewing on paper is one of my all time favorite activities.

It is also a great way to mount children’s art on construction paper to make a quick frame.

The hummingbird has pieces of gold and blue foil applied with matte gel. I painted over the foil about 50% to push the foil back and make it seem more part of the bird. I painted several coats of Acrylic Silks over the humming-bird.

Now, the picture of the day. I think this would be a great cover for a coffee table book.

Pussyfooter eating cereal the morning after. Clearly not ready for the party to be over — Pussyfooter the next morning eating cereal. Clearly not ready for the party to be over.

My goal in Spark this month is to paint. The other two things I am balancing December with are getting out and enjoying New Orleans and celebrating a bit of Christmas in our house every day. Balance is sometimes difficult and Spark helps.

Spreading Christmas Joy,

Gator Girl

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Where Y’Art

Posted on March 11, 2014March 11, 2014 by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all!

I almost forget what it is like to live somewhere else in the world. For two weeks it has been Mardi Gras here in New Orleans. It is so all-encompassing that I forget what y’all might be doing elsewhere. I checked my email and Facebook solely for Mardi Gras information, costume design ideas and what parades and balls everyone is going to.

My sweet darlin' as a Pussy Handler in Thoth. — My sweet darlin’ as a Pussy Handler in Thoth.

At midnight on Fat Tuesday Mardi Gras STOPS. Now, it is Lent.

We are all back to our regular lives. As regular as they get in New Orleans.

You can find me on Where Y’Art.

Where Y’Art is a local artists collective. You can always find me on-line with them and throughout the year out in the community at sponsored events. I am hopeful that this will expose my art to collectors, so I don’t need to promote myself by myself. The two women who started Where Y’Art have inspired energy and great ideas for expansion. I am honored to be included.

My first community adventure is at the Pinchapalooza on April 6th in Bucktown. We are going there as a group of 10 artists. (I’ll keep you posted.)

All my love,

Gator Girl