David Rex Joyner

I recently discovered New Orleans artist David Rex Joyner.  Joyner's mixed medias are very reminiscent of two of my favorite abstract impressionists, Willem de Kooning and Hans Hofmann.  I love how he blends nature and landscape into these wonderfully vibrant and playful abstracts. 

Brace
Acrylic and Mixed Media on Canvas
16 x 16 inches

Cloud
Acrylic and Mixed Media on Canvas
30 x 30 inches

Float
Acrylic and Mixed Media on Canvas
9 x 12 inches

Serenity
Acrylic and Mixed Media on Canvas
16 x 16 inches

StumbleAcrylic and Mixed Media on Canvas
36 x 48 inches

Trust
Acrylic and Mixed Media on Canvas
36 x 48 inches

Wake
Acrylic and Mixed Media on Canvas
9 x 12 inches

Rise
Acrylic/Mixed Media/Canvas
9 x 12 inches

The last work, Rise, is my absolute favorite!

{images via Cole Pratt Gallery}

Crawfish Boil

Yum! Yum! Yum!

The crawfish boil was a HUGE success and wildly delicious! The 90 pounds arrived first thing Saturday morning in a giant box.  We quickly got to work cleaning them off, preparing all of the fixings, picking up the beer and running other last minute errands.  We had a few first-timers and surprisingly, one was incredibly irked by the little mudbugs. It took three batches and several hours, but all of the 90 pounds was gone by the end of the night!

Of course crawfish aren't just a food delicacy, but also make alluring, whimsical works of art.

{image via  Deborah Newman Fine Art}

{image via ArtPaperGarden Etsy}

{image via Heirloom Furnishings}

Crawfish boils are also fantastic inspiration for cakes. Here's my husband's incredibly realistic groom's cake!

 

Hmmm...makes me hungry all over again!

Friday Fave

The crawfish are swimming up here from Louisiana as I write!

Well maybe flying, but they arrive tomorrow morning and I couldn't be more excited! The lights are strung, the table is set, the pot is ready - all I need to get are the fixings!

In honor of our Cajun-filled weekend, I thought a work by the renowned New Orleans artist Alexander John Drysdale (American 1870-1934) couldn't be more fitting. Drysdale, originally from Georgia, made a name for himself in the Crescent City as landscape artist.  His hazy, dreamy works of the bayou and mossy trees are the epitome of southern tranquility.  He developed a unique method of diluting oil paint to create oil wash - which without, I think his paintings wouldn't be nearly as moving.

Alexander John Drysdale (American 1870-1934), Lovers, Suicide and Dueling Oak
Oil wash on academy board, 1922
The Ogden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans, LA

Happy Weekend!

{image via The Ogden Museum of Southern Art}

NOLA Love

Spotted:  new Phil Sandusky NOLA streetscapes at Cole Pratt Gallery!

I've been yearning for a little New Orleans love these past few of weeks.  After exhausting where to find live crawfish around here --I even looked into having them shipped-- these streetscapes will have to indulge me for now!

{images via Cole Pratt Gallery, Facebook}

Artist Intro: Phil Sandusky

The concept of plein-air ("outdoor") is most widely linked with the Barbizon School and Impressionist movement.  In the contemporary art world plein-air artists are reemerging- dedicating themselves back to the traditional art of painting directly from life.  Phil Sandusky is a wonderful example of a contemporary plein-air artist.  Sandusky paints from life mainly in New Orleans, where he lives and teaches, but his work also captures scenes of Atlanta, Jacksonville, New York, Charleston, etc.


Here are few of my New Orleans favorites:

After living in New Orleans for four years, his works bring me back to the everyday scenery of the city.  I just love how honest and natural each work is.  Rather than falsely glamorizing the landscape, as so many amateur artists eagerly do, Sandusky is able to capture the true essence and character of the city in each of his paintings.

Sandusky's works are available exclusively through Cole Pratt Gallery (New Orleans), Stellers Gallery (Jacksonville), and the Reinike Gallery (Atlanta).

{images via Cole Pratt Gallery, Reinike Gallery, Phil Sandusky}

Artist Intro: Jack Mayberry

In my line of work, I often don't get to see rising contemporary artists.  So I'm always excited when I get introduced to someone new.  My new "obsession" is Jack Mayberry.  Mayberry is an interior designer, artist and manager of Perch in New Orleans.  I absolutely adore his work; his use of mediums and colors, textures and depth. 

 Just imagine one of these playful abstracts in a traditional-style room.  Love it!

{photos via Perch}