February 24, 2025
Emilie Rhys is a supremely talented third-generation artist who specializes in depicting New Orleans musicians, French Quarter rooftop views, and cityscapes. In her serene French Quarter gallery, Scene by Rhys Fine Art at 1036 Royal St., she paints portraits on canvas and smaller images on copper plates. Often spotted at music venues, she spontaneously draws pen and ink drawings of performing musicians with remarkable accuracy. Her renderings capture the immediacy of improvisation. The only thing she enjoys more than hearing music is to "draw the music" while it's playing. You may see her out and about sketching the essence of musicians in their moment as if her pen were a conductor's baton. Her work, which synthesizes two great elements of New Orleans creativity, the sonic world of music and the frenetic energy of her visual art, is quite unique. Look for her at some of her favorite traditional jazz halls such as Fritzel's European Jazz Pub, Jazz Playhouse, Royal Sonesta Hotel, Spotted Cat Music Club, Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro, and Bayou Bar at the Pontchartrain Hotel. For each piece sold, she gives a portion of the profit back to the musicians, paying homage to the inspiration and talent in the musical city she loves so much.
Emilie Rhys was born in New York City in 1956, the daughter of NYC and New Orleans artists Noel Rockmore and Elizabeth Hunter, and the granddaughter of NYC artists Floyd Davis and Gladys Rockmore Davis. She grew up in Portland, Oregon and San Francisco. Rhys drew pictures from the time she could hold a crayon, and by the age of 14 she had developed a strongly individualistic style as evidenced in her first small series of works utilizing Rapidograph technical pens and a pointillist technique to produce drawings of imaginary mystical characters.
Her half century art career began in San Francisco, then moved to New Orleans, Paris, New York City, Santa Fe, and finally back to New Orleans in 2011. She has produced artworks on paper and canvas that appear in collections around the United States and Europe. Though she did not grow up with her father, Noel Rockmore, they shared some artistic proclivities, such as preferring to work with live models and working from dark to light by applying a dark color to the blank white surface of the new canvas before painting an image on it. The paintings take Rhys a long time to develop because the paint is applied in a variety of ways, thin then thick, followed by accents applied with palette knives, allowing each layer to fully dry before proceeding.
Her father, Noel Rockmore, the son of two artists, was a famous New Orleans artist who moved to New Orleans from New York City in 1959. He is renowned for his portraits of Preservation Hall jazz musicians. While visiting Preservation Hall in 2011, she did something she had never done before. She illustrated the traditional jazz performers as they played. It was particularly special for Rhys to sketch there with the spirits of her father and the old musicians he portrayed during the 1960s gracing the venue walls. They looked down on her as a new generation of musicians performed and as she created new artwork of them in action. It was a nostalgic moment, as she had not been in the Hall since 1995 when she visited for her father's memorial service.
In July 2021, her beautiful coffee table book, New Orleans Music Observed: The Art of Noel Rockmore and Emilie Rhys, was published. It commemorated the exhibition by the same name at the Jazz Museum displayed in 2020 and 2021. The book introduced significant new original material and featured several hundred illustrations, many in full color. “I was very excited to be invited to appear on a panel to speak about my book at the 2024 New Orleans Book Festival,” Rhys proclaimed. The book examines the relationship and work of father and daughter artists. With this profusely illustrated book and exclusive new material, the book offers a dynamic examination of how Rhys, Rockmore, and their subjects view both the art and artistic process.
Throughout her book, the reader is treated to intimate views of both artists through the evocative text, the rich context of the biography, family and professional photos, and original musician voices. It tells the story of these two artists’ intense relationship with one another, with the music and musicians they depict, and with the city itself, conveying a sense of belonging unique to New Orleans and New Orleanians. No trip to the French Quarter is complete without seeing Rhys’ work at her gallery on 1036 Royal St. Or you can make an appointment to visit Rhys in person by using the contact form found at scenebyrhys.com.
Emilie Rhys was born in New York City in 1956, the daughter of NYC and New Orleans artists Noel Rockmore and Elizabeth Hunter, and the granddaughter of NYC artists Floyd Davis and Gladys Rockmore Davis. She grew up in Portland, Oregon and San Francisco. Rhys drew pictures from the time she could hold a crayon, and by the age of 14 she had developed a strongly individualistic style as evidenced in her first small series of works utilizing Rapidograph technical pens and a pointillist technique to produce drawings of imaginary mystical characters.
Her half century art career began in San Francisco, then moved to New Orleans, Paris, New York City, Santa Fe, and finally back to New Orleans in 2011. She has produced artworks on paper and canvas that appear in collections around the United States and Europe. Though she did not grow up with her father, Noel Rockmore, they shared some artistic proclivities, such as preferring to work with live models and working from dark to light by applying a dark color to the blank white surface of the new canvas before painting an image on it. The paintings take Rhys a long time to develop because the paint is applied in a variety of ways, thin then thick, followed by accents applied with palette knives, allowing each layer to fully dry before proceeding.
Her father, Noel Rockmore, the son of two artists, was a famous New Orleans artist who moved to New Orleans from New York City in 1959. He is renowned for his portraits of Preservation Hall jazz musicians. While visiting Preservation Hall in 2011, she did something she had never done before. She illustrated the traditional jazz performers as they played. It was particularly special for Rhys to sketch there with the spirits of her father and the old musicians he portrayed during the 1960s gracing the venue walls. They looked down on her as a new generation of musicians performed and as she created new artwork of them in action. It was a nostalgic moment, as she had not been in the Hall since 1995 when she visited for her father's memorial service.
In July 2021, her beautiful coffee table book, New Orleans Music Observed: The Art of Noel Rockmore and Emilie Rhys, was published. It commemorated the exhibition by the same name at the Jazz Museum displayed in 2020 and 2021. The book introduced significant new original material and featured several hundred illustrations, many in full color. “I was very excited to be invited to appear on a panel to speak about my book at the 2024 New Orleans Book Festival,” Rhys proclaimed. The book examines the relationship and work of father and daughter artists. With this profusely illustrated book and exclusive new material, the book offers a dynamic examination of how Rhys, Rockmore, and their subjects view both the art and artistic process.
Throughout her book, the reader is treated to intimate views of both artists through the evocative text, the rich context of the biography, family and professional photos, and original musician voices. It tells the story of these two artists’ intense relationship with one another, with the music and musicians they depict, and with the city itself, conveying a sense of belonging unique to New Orleans and New Orleanians. No trip to the French Quarter is complete without seeing Rhys’ work at her gallery on 1036 Royal St. Or you can make an appointment to visit Rhys in person by using the contact form found at scenebyrhys.com.
