New Geaux Fish Shrimp Bo

 Due to some damage from a leaking fish tank, I had to repaint the shrimp boat.  I had the opportunity to exercise more artistic license this time, and I'm happier with the result.  8 1/2' x 10'.  It was done in the home studio on canvas and attached on site over the damaged wall by David Mancuso.

Two New Portraits

As some of you may know, I am focussing my effort this summer on improving my artistic skills drawing people.  It is the biggest and most important challenge any artist faces in my opinion- truly capturing the essence of another human being.  

 I completed these two portraits today, though I may decide to tweak them further.  The first model is a work started in Carol Peeble's portrait class.  The second is one I tackled on my own.  It is of my dear friend, Vic Shepherd, a New Orleans troubador who makes this living playing music for social events.  I feel I captured his jovial spirit. 

Father John Craft

I decided to try my hand at a formal portrait, and my friend, John Craft, happily obliged.  He is a fascinating man; he is a trial lawyer representing criminals for the state, the trombone player and business manager for the New Leviathan Oriental Fox Trot Orchestra, an Episcopal priest, and the father of five children, three grown and two teenagers.  Where he gets the time for all this, I have no idea!  

On Fire!

This is an 8 1/2' T x 10 1/2' W muslin backdrop I made for Rick Delaup's "Bad Girls of Burlesque" show, which took place on May 31, 2014.  He envisioned something graphic which might incorporate flames and leopard.  I came up with the "silhouetted ladies" framing device to separate the two bold patterns.

Detail Images of My New Bonampak Mural

These photos allow you to see the texture and details of the mural.  I feel my mural truly captures the  fascinating mystery of the Mayan people and their eerie rituals.

My New Bonampak-Inspired Mural at the Aquarium of the Americas

This mural is approximately 8 1/2'T x 22'L.  I painted it across a series of Mondays through September and October.  It is for a new Mayan-inspired "underwater ruin" exhibit at the Aquarium of the Americas here in New Orleans.  It is based on photos they provided of actual ancient murals inside of a Mayan pyramid, which wrapped around the entire interior wall of the pyramid.  

One section of that mural, which is inside of the Bonampak pyramid, represented some sort of feast, or parade, for their underwater god.  There is a striking similarity to a Mardi Gras parade because the people are masked and costumed and there are several people playing horns.  Every New Orleanian who sees it is reminded of a second line parade.  Supposedly, our New Orleans tradition dates back to spring planting celebrations in Europe, which evolved into Mardi Gras celebrations in Paris hundreds of years ago, but there is no denying that masking, drumming and revelry are an innate part of human expression!

Sportsman's Paradise: White-Tailed Deer Float

The first pic is kind of fun because you get to see what us float-painters have to deal with all too often.... cracking float cloth!  Imagine trying to paint any straight line on this broken surface.   This is why float-painters opt for brushes with long, soft bristles, ideally synthetic.  They hold up to our abuse fairly well yet also handle the lumps and bumps like a champ.  They replace the cloth in small panels on an "as needed" basis. Honestly, new cloth has its own obstacles.  They don't sand it after priming so it sucks in the paint while having the texture of sand-paper.

These deer are out frolicking in the sunset, and the light captures their fur in backlit warm tones for the most part.  I kept the trees in the background simple so as not to compete with the deer.  The photos have a warped look because it is only about 6-5' from the neighboring float.  We get to paint something that will be seen mostly from 10' to 500' away while only being able to view it ourselves at this narrow distance.  If I wait to take photos on the street or lined up in the Convention Center, it will have gold-leaf decoration and possibly paper flowers that will likely cover up the ability to truly appreciate  the work.