Once at Vacation Bible School—yes, I went to Vacation Bible School, once and only once—anyway, once at Vacation Bible School when I was 9 years old, we were asked a strange question: if we could be any other person in the world for one day, who would we want to be? Stunned, I raised my hand and stated very clearly that my parents did not allow me to fantasize about things that could not happen, but if I did, I would want to be Gloria Vanderbilt because she was a strong woman with a great head of hair, and I liked denim.
Art
RoyALL STARS
June 07, 2022
I am mad bananas for 1970s disaster movies. I was a “Towering Inferno” of excitement when Ms. Shelley Winters declared herself a very skinny girl in the water. Flipping ships, earthquakes, volcanoes, and distressed airliners had me sitting on the edge of my bean bag chair waiting for the Sunday night movie. It only got better when they sold me the catastrophe with an all-star cast. While other kids were counting cookies with Bert and Ernie, the simple words “Ernest Borgnine” had me counting the days till I could see him save the day, and Stella Stevens.
Exquisitely Old & Renewed
March 07, 2022
MS Rau
People like to say that kids say the most at amazing and honest things, but I disagree. I find children horrifically boring. And I find that the truth tends to topple the tower of delusion on which I have built my life.
The Human Canvas: Fine Art Body Painting
December 07, 2021
Craig Tracy, born and raised in New Orleans, is the owner of Craig Tracy’s Fine Art Body Painting Gallery. He has always known he would be an artist, and credits New Orleans’ authentic and vibrant culture as a significant factor in his passion, creativity and bliss. His family’s photo album is filled with images, capturing moments of the family members ritually painting each other’s faces for Mardi Gras, when individuality and self-adornment are considered standard practice.
Life Is Like a Ham Sandwich...
December 07, 2021
There is a very valid reason I refuse to run. If I think about it, I am sure I could come up with 72 valid reasons why I don’t run. But only this one applies here: I was running when I broke my foot in the second grade. Doctor Turner called it a clean break and said I would be in a cast for eight weeks while my broken foot healed. What? Eight weeks? I had chickens to feed, cousins to make jealous, and a father to raise. To boot, literally, I wasn’t given one of those super sleek boot things everyone gets today.
Well, that was interesting!
September 30, 2021
While it makes my heart sing to listen to people’s stories about how being quarantined changed their lives and enlightened them about their diets, their marriages, and their affinity for positive affirmation YouTube videos (insert eye roll here), it really excites me to see the changes in the world of art that were a result of artists and gallerists witnessing an unsure, uncertain future staring them in the face. It’s not any specially kept secret that art has had it fair share of growth after global hysterics scared the mixed media out of us in the community. 2020 was no different.
Festive Libations
January 29, 2020
New Orleans may well have invented the festival. This is a town that throws parties to honor the homely mirliton and local Creole tomato. We celebrate oysters, fried chicken, gumbo and Louisiana seafood. Neighborhood fêtes abound–more than 130 every year--with toes tapping from the Treme to Uptown on Freret. Diversity is heralded at Greek Fest, Southern Decadence and Soul Fest. Local art, inspired literature, live music, and good eats are the common denominators and usually entrance is free.
Teamwork Makes the Art Dream Work
January 28, 2020
Artist Emilie Rhys will be celebrating the start of 2020 with a historic exhibit at the New Orleans Jazz Museum. Featuring her work together with that of her father, Noel Rockmore, this will be the first time the two artists have been celebrated in one showing. Rhys brings her live oil portraiture to the event in a magnificent scale; the sizes of the pieces are notable with some as large as 30 x 40 inches. Emilie has gained fame for her live sitting portraits, and this show is no exception. The work has been created over multiple sittings with musicians in her studio.
It Doesn’t Always Feel As New As It Looks
January 28, 2020
Once upon time in a land known as Southeast Louisiana, there lived a little prince who had an unusual relationship with a pair of Winnie the Pooh shorts. The prince’s most-favored shorts had a waistband adorned with a fabric inner lining depicting Winnie the Pooh tumbling along with a bowl of honey spilling over. The little prince wore the shorts to church; he wore them to birthday parties and to crawfish boils. He wore them to vacation in Grand Isle and even wore them to sleep, when he could get away with it.
It’s Just Art
November 01, 2019
The life of an art writer is not always easy. Gallerists waiting until the last minute to send me high resolution images, saucy assistants pretending they can’t attach a PDF, and let’s not forget the artists. We love you; you’re great. Who are YOU again?
Sometimes I just have to sit back and remind myself that it isn’t the end of the world, and that, inevitably, IT’S JUST ART.
So why do I keep throwing myself onto this sword for the sake of art, you ask? Good question.
I wish I had an answer for you that did not involve my low self-esteem and Catholic guilt!
Sometimes I just have to sit back and remind myself that it isn’t the end of the world, and that, inevitably, IT’S JUST ART.
So why do I keep throwing myself onto this sword for the sake of art, you ask? Good question.
I wish I had an answer for you that did not involve my low self-esteem and Catholic guilt!
Artist Spotlight LeLuna
July 30, 2019
I must admit, that until now, my only real fascination with superheroes was the spandex. I mean think about it: that smooth colorful fabric stretched across perfect biceps or tightly spread over a good six pack. Would any of us really think that Superman could fly if he were dressed in grey flannel pajamas? Hardly! See, I knew you’d see it my way. Now, what about those masks? You know the ones covering one eye, both eyes, their whole face, making them look like bats (which is kinda messed up, but I get it). The masks keep their identities a secret.
