I'm a native, born and raised in an uptown neighborhood on the corner of Magazine and Calhoun Sts. I left to attend LSU where I received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, then returned home to work in the Mardi Gras industry. I did this as an Artist/Designer/Art Dept. Manager for 44 years and retired in 2016.
The transition to the oeuvre that I'm populating this site with began in teaming with an old buddy, the colorful and very gifted Joe Barth III. We collaborated on a few large works in Orange Beach, AL and I couldn't wait to get back to NOLA to start forming some unique concepts in my new vein of inspiration. This inspiration involved a mix of an aluminum wire armature, different weighs of paper, and most importantly, green contact cement (a 3M product), and also clear contact cement (a DAP product). After the sculpture is painted and completed I apply 3 coats of polyurethane.
I strive to portray an emotionally charged moment, maybe a blissful instant or animated gesture bringing movement and some interesting negative space to pop off your wall, as my sculptures usually hang on the wall. Last but not least, I would like to add that my pieces generally depict the fairer sex. I consider the female form a beautifully complex and flawless creation. God's greatest creation.
Questions & Answers
Describe your art in three words.
Unusual, dream-like, sublime
Describe yourself in one word.
God-centered
Describe your creative process. Are there any rituals or rites of passage you exercise before you begin a new piece?
I generally don't do anything out of the ordinary except that I don't do any sketching. Doing sketches kind of delays my creative process in that I believe, that of course, my talent is God given so I let him take control and I just go with the vision in my head. The piece may take some turns and I sometimes do an extraction here or there, but the sculptures for the most part just flow to the finished product.
I'd like to mention also that, I use UPS to ship b/c the fingers and hair in certain works need extra protection. I've shipped with them numerous times, without a problem. You can message or call me, and I will bring the piece to UPS for a more accurate cost to ship, which is most always cheaper than the shipping price I have listed (an estimate).
Where do you draw inspiration?
As I move about our uniquely cultured city, the hairdos, fashion statements, postures, and on and on, inspire so many snaps of my iPhone. The area is a veritable inspiration laboratory.
Who are your artistic influences or gurus?
First of all I have to give thanks and praise to almighty God for giving me the talent and ability to create these works of art. I believe he guides me as I go through the process, and I felt I had this ability and guidance from a very early age. I am so thankful that through the gifts He has given me, I was able to make a good living as an artist in the most unique and beautifully distinct city in America.
Gustav Klimt's decorative motifs, and the bas-relief in his works are brilliant visually and conceptually.
Amedeo Modigliani's masterful and elegant use of elongation in his female portraiture and nudes are amazing.
Joe Barth III was instrumental in my discovering the medium I work in. If it weren't for Joe, I wouldn't have discovered this process. Joe is pretty well known in certain art circles around our community. He and his family are best known for the front entrance of the 1984 World's Fair. The mermaids were colossal, fantastic, and sensuous, but I really really enjoyed walking around and scrutinizing the magnificent details of the sculptures preceding the gates. They were two separate scenes of larger than life, powerfully muscled sea gods wrestling huge alligators in tall reeds, cat tails, and rushing waters. Incredible and stunning works of art!
Art and music go hand in hand. What type of music, band or song lyric best describes your work?
Well I have actually titled a number of my works with song titles of my favorite bands like "Something in the Way She Moves", "She Can See for Miles", "This Magic Moment", and "Run Around Sue" to name a few. Some others I title with lyrics of favorite songs like "Spill Wine Dig That Girl", "She Put de Lime in de Coconut, She Drank 'Em Bot' Up", and "She Tripped the Light Fandango", and there are many others.
Where can we find you when you are not creating art?
I attend Catholic Mass most every morning, then I move onto the health club 3 days a week. Other than those, I spend time with family. Also Hurricane Ida and my insurance company left me with a number of time consuming repairs that go on and on.
And too, I must say since retiring, I realized that all that extra time off doesn't translate to more product, but to instead breed distraction and interruption....I must FOCUS!
What is your favorite time of day/day of the week/month of the year?
A crisp, cold day in March, a beautiful sunny Sunday morning with a coffee and a paper, or a lazy Friday evening with a favorite whiskey; or to borrow from Rogers & Hammerstein, "these are a few of my favorite things".
What is something people don’t know about you? A fun fact.
I was once a scholarship athlete on the LSU Wrestling Team, circa 1968 - 1972, and was the 1968 - District 5 Quad A City Heavyweight Champion in wrestling for De La Salle High School.
