The art in New Orleans is everywhere. There are local artists everywhere. There are painters, musicians, dancers, and
chefs all over the city. We went all over
the city looking at all kinds of art, from photography to paintings, to jewelry
makers, to psychics. I could have picked
so many different artists. I tend to
love photography and I loved so many pictures of the architecture around NOLA. There were so many cool buildings and doors
and streets. I could have spent all day looking
at buildings and taking pictures. The
cemetery was another favorite spot that I would have spent hours taking pictures
at. We went to the Garden District on
our free day, and we met an artist that was selling his artwork in a studio he
had. He was so polite and talked to us about
his art and took pictures with us. His name
was Terrance Osborne and his artwork was colorful and gorgeous. Terrance grew up in the heart of New Orleans. He has a Fine Arts Degree from Xavier
University of Louisiana. He taught Fine
Arts in the public-school system for five years before Hurricane Katrina came. He and his family evacuated and went to Georgia
and he started painting full-time. He later
returned to New Orleans to pursue his career in art. He has received many awards and commissions
for being able to depict the city with his artwork. He was voted the city’s Best Artist in Gambit
Weekly’s Best Of….Edition. He now lives
in New Orleans with his wife and business partner and their three kids. He had pictures hanging all around the walls
of his art work and he had an atmosphere that was welcoming and soothing. He had lavender oils going and a soft rug to
stand on. He had pictures of Mardi Gras,
Katrina, jazz musicians, and animals. He
uses bright and bold colors that stand out and tell a story. Growing up in New Orleans gave him the
inspiration to paint. The bright colors
are symbolic of Mardi Gras and all the fun that people have in New
Orleans. My favorite picture was called “Lady
Mardi Gras.” This painting is Terrance’s
tribute to the social scene in New Orleans.
It is a picture of a female wearing face paint and beads and holding a
mask. She has colorful hair and a house
on her head with birds on the house. When
I look at that picture, I see New Orleans.
I see Mardi Gras and all the colors and uniqueness of the city. I feel like it depicts the city and how
different everyone is in New Orleans. All
his paintings show different aspects of New Orleans and many depict events that
have happened or do happen in the city. Terrance’s
Katrina paintings show what the city went through when Katrina hit. He has several that depict the solutions of
the hurricane including putting houses on stilts, evacuations, and boats. Others were titled post hurricane blues. These paintings are just so impactful.
Cemetery
Inner Journey
The reason I chose this particular artist, was not only his
artwork, but his personality. His
presentation was like no other. When you
walked in his gallery, the smell of lavender instantly hit you and then you
walk on his plush rug, and it is so soft under your feet. He greets you with a warm smile and answers any
questions you may have. He took the time to take pictures with all of us and
was kind the entire time. When learning
that he is from New Orleans, and hearing what he went through with Hurricane
Katrina, it made me like him and his artwork even more. The vibrant colors he uses instantly drew me
to his work. The stories his art tells
are amazing. Knowing that he went
through Hurricane Katrina makes his artwork even more meaningful. He was not just telling a story, he was
telling his story. Looking at his artwork,
I could see the story he was trying to tell.
The way he paints in an eclectic way but still capturing the meaning is
what drew me in. Putting houses on top of
vehicles and boats showing what the victims of Katrina had to do to get out of
harms way was beautiful and devastating at the same time. I am not sure that if he was from another
town, he would be as inspired as he is growing up in New Orleans. Another reason I chose this artist was after visiting
the Presbytere Museum, I was so impacted by the stories of the Katrina victims. I had no idea what really happened and how
many people were left and not rescued and why.
Knowing the background about the hurricane made his paintings more
beautiful. Katrina was the story that
impacted me the most of all of the places we visited. Knowing that people were left because they
were poor. Knowing that nothing was done
to prevent the seriousness of the hurricane just blew my mind. If this had been going on in a richer city,
would things have turned out the same way?
Knowing that local people were heroes and were staying behind to save
lives was one of the most heart wrenching stories. All of these things were seen in his paintings. Then he had the happy paintings. The paintings that showed the music of New Orleans. The paintings that showed Mardi Gras. Sunset paintings. All of these things are also New Orleans. I think many of the artists of New Orleans
have their own depiction of what New Orleans means. I think the reason so many people take
photographs of the city is because it is so unique and has so many areas of
town that are beautiful and colorful and stand for what the city means. There are so many different ways to capture the
city and the history and what it means. Terrance
Osborne is able to tell his story of his town in a colorful way that is both
tragic and beautiful.
Terrance Osborne's work
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