The Art of New Orleans
Inner & Outer Journey
New Orleans allowed me to gain a new appreciation for art. The art of New Orleans is so many things. From the music on the street, Iron work on the galleries, the art along the fences of the Jackson Square, the art in each gallery, the dances on the sidewalks, and even the poet who sat on the corner typing on an old typewriter custom poems for people who crossed her path. New Orleans is where people express themselves and are appreciated for it. If I was an aspiring artist I would be making my start in this city.
While in New Orleans we had a few hours to tour local galleries, more specifically Royal Street. I went with my roommate Amy, and my classmate Robert. We had so much fun taking our time walking through all of the galleries. One that we spent a quite a bit of time in was Kezic Gallery. It didn't take long for me to realize that I couldn't even afford the smallest print they had available. This gallery was high end. I quickly fell in love with this textured art that was actually created by the owner of the gallery, Diego Lukezic Kezic. His art really spoke to me. It was simple, and bold at the same time. It had texture, color, and reached out to you and made you feel calm and happy. His art was peaceful.
There were a few other places we went to, one I considered to be what I thought as a shot gun gallery. Osterhold Boudreaux Gallery and Studio. It was small and narrow as you walked in. At the back of the gallery or what you would consider a hallway sat a desk with the artist. The art in this gallery was very different. Usually an artist is famous for painting one specific thing in many different ways, this artist paints both dark and light objects. He also goes to weddings and paints a scene from the wedding. Very unique that this artist can paint such dark things such as dragons and demons but also paint weddings and flower vases. He articulates both so well.
The next gallery I found interesting was the Sutton Gallery. It had high end paintings along with steel abstract furniture that was beautifully made. The thing I found most interesting about this gallery was a specific young artist who mostly paints landscapes, and does it well I might add. Her same is Isabelle Dupuy. She sets dates with this particular gallery for live paintings. I was talking to one of the salesman in the gallery and he spoke highly of her and her skills. He said that within the last week he had sold 30 of her paintings. He said that he can hardly keep her paintings in stock. I was unable to take pictures but she does have a website I have checked out and her work is some of the best I have seen. I think what I liked the most about this gallery was that the artist does live paintings, and that she signs every painting that is sold from that gallery.
The last gallery I want to talk about is the Kako Gallery. This was one of my favorites. Not only does this gallery stock up local artists pieces, but it is another what I would consider a shot gun gallery. Very unique and hip. Also very interesting, above the gallery is apartments. At the back of the gallery is a court yard that the apartments look out on to. How neat would it be to live above a gallery, especially as neat as this one is! I fell in love with the vibe of this place. It felt welcoming. There was so many different styles of art. It had a piece in their for everyone. What I liked most about this gallery was their style. I would recommend this gallery and all of the ones that I mentioned in this post to anyone going to New Orleans. The city has a lot of great pieces of art, you just have to know where to look for them. A lot of the artist that are in the galleries are also on the square. It is important to talk with the artist and get their opinions and stories on each piece. It is neat to see what they have to say about their art, compared to how you see it. The city of New Orleans Is alive because of the artist's in it bringing color and texture to the streets.
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