A transplant from North Louisiana, I moved to New Orleans in 2006. I've lived in many different areas of the city, from Broadmoor to the Channel, Uptown to Carrollton and Riverside to the CBD, but never felt more at home than I did in Mid-city. I will always love and miss living there and have created very few works since, that are not influenced by that area.
Art and nature have always been a constant in my life. I spent most of my childhood hunting, fishing and drawing. I graduated from La Tech in 02 with degrees in Painting and Graphic Design.
I primarily work in oils on canvas, but enjoy all mediums.
Open for commissions.
Follow me on Instagram @emorynolan
Questions & Answers
Describe your art in three words.
Landscape, Abstract, Musical
Describe yourself in one word.
Thoughtful
What do you love the most about creating art in New Orleans? What particular part of your immediate environment, in your neighborhood specifically influences your work?
Most people in this area appreciate and support art and music and most are artists and musicians themselves. I'm inspired by the close relationship between the City and Nature: a marching band winding through the neighborhood Oaks practicing for Carnival; Catsclaw taking over an old home; the constant battle between the roots and roads; watching birds migrating up and down the Mississippi.
Describe your creative process. Are there any rituals or rites of passage you exercise before you begin a new piece?
I usually begin by turning up some music and cleaning the studio. When I can, I also enjoy building and stretching my own canvases. I find this helps me slow down and connect with the piece and the process.
Where do you draw inspiration?
Inspiration is everywhere, especially here, but your eyes, ears and mind must be open to it. City Park continues to be a never ending muse for me.
"I paint and write about the land of my experiences. It is not that this land is so correct or perfect..it is simply that this is the land of my associations and this simple truth makes it a wonderland." ~John McCrady
Who are your artistic influences or gurus?
This area/region has many great artists who have inspired me, a few: Clarence Millet, W.H. Buck, Helen Turner, John McCrady, Woodward brothers, Simon Gunning, Mr. Earl Hebert, Newcomb Pottery
Turner, Cezanne, the Impressionists, Magritte, Hopper
In New Orleans, art and music go hand in hand. What type of music, band or song lyric best describes your work?
Southern skies
Have you ever noticed
Southern skies
It's precious beauty
Lies just beyond the eye
It goes running through the soul
Like the stories told of old
Old man
He and his dog that walk the old land
Every flower touched his cold hand
As he slowly walked by
Weeping willows would cry for joy
~Toussaint
Where can we find you when you are not creating art?
the park or the porch
What is your favorite time of day/day of the week/month of the year?
...easy like Sunday morning
What is something people don’t know about you? A fun fact.
I can, sometimes, stay up past 10 pm.
