On March 11th I started a journey with artist Laure Ferlita. The course
" Imaginary Trip to New Orleans" is an on-line art journaling workshop. The lessons are sent by email and demonstration videos. The first lesson taught us the 4 E's.
Evaluate. Eliminate. Edit. Embellish.
The video demonstrated the use of a "water" brush. I had known about a waterbrush but never used one. I actually had one in a small travel watercolor kit. The water is in a reservoir attached with a brush tip. You squeeze the reservoir to release as much water as you need. The brush is stiff with a nice point~very good for line work.
Lesson 1 assignment: trolleys. There are several trolley lines running through New Orleans. Photos of different views of trolleys were posted and we were to make our "journal" entry from these photos.
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| Canal St. Trolley |
Laure, our instructor, has been a great tour guide. Today we are taking particular notice of the distinct architecture, especially the "shutters". Almost every building has shutters to close up the windows and doors, both for privacy and security. The "Kitchen Witch" is the shop I decided to sketch (it's filled with cookbooks).
Assignment 2: Sketch with a pen~no pencil! ~no erasing!~no rulers!
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| William Faulkner House & Bookstore |
Assignment 3:
We're on our own today. We must go to Bourbon St./Orleans St, by way of Google Maps, and find something to put in our journals. Learning to travel around Google Maps took some time!!!
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| Old Opera House on Bourbon St. (I just love the sign!) |
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| Creole Townhouses on Orleans St. |
Assignment 4: Iron Work
When I saw the subject I was excited but I soon realized how difficult it was to create all the intricate designs.
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| Wrought Iron Art of New Orleans |
Assignment 5: FOOD
You can't go to New Orleans and not experience some of the BEST food. This project made my mouth water!! Creole and Cajun cuisine and beignets and Banana's Foster..mmmmm.
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| Commander's Palace Restaurant est. 1880 located in the Garden District. |
Lesson 6: St. Elizabeth's
St. Elizabeth's is a 19th century mansion designated as an Historical Landmark. It was built in 1860 as a girl's school, then became an orphanage in the 1870's and remained as one until 1989. The residence, which is 47,000 sq. ft., was then bought by author Anne Rice in 1993. She did significant restoration and also added many of her collections, including an extensive doll collection. At this time, tours are not available. The White Chapel is one of the most beautiful rooms in the mansion, seating over 200; the green and yellow stained glass windows are original.
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| White Chapel, St. Elizabeth's |
Assignment 7: Pierre Maspero's
Our lesson is do our sketch
and painting in 20 minutes. The lamp post took 20 minutes; the second,
Pierre Maspero's, took longer. I took more time to 'embellish' each.
Pierre Maspero's dates to the 18th century was the site of the
Slave Exchange. Today it is a restaurant.
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| Pierre Maspero's Restaurant- these are 2 different paintings |
Assignment 8: Courtyards
New Orleans has so many beautiful hidden spaces. Homes and shops are built close together; space is a premium but the city abounds in quiet, secluded courtyards. They are difficult to see because of walls and iron gates but when one of these treasures is found, it is a real delight.
The sketching of intricate, interesting subjects is getting easier with each new lesson. Now on to resolving my 'journaling' problems.
Lesson 9: Mardi Gras Masks
We weren't there for Mardi Gras but that doesn't mean we couldn't enjoy the beautiful costumes and masks that are worn to masquesrade parties and parades. A masque shop in the French Quarter provided the subjects for this lesson. I don't think I've ever seen so many different kinds of feathers!!
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Let the good times roll!
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Assignment 10: Street Performers
(We were really taken out of our comfort zone and forced to sketch
people..my biggest nightmare!)
Walking the streets is entertainment in itself; there are so many performing muscians, buskers and mimes. You never quite know what you are going to see.
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| Man walking dog....or was he? |
I saw this guy and thought 'how weird~such a big guy and that little dog is pulling him across the street'....then I realized, when he turned around, that the dog was stuffed...he was the
act. It was so funny!!
Assignment 11: Mississippi River
So much of life in New Orleans revolves around the river. Tonight we took a cruise on a paddlewheel riverboat. I had to capture the beautiful sunset as we went under the Crescent City Connector (bridge).
We had such a good time on the riverboat cruise, I just had to get a sketch of the paddlewheeler. When you say Mississippi River, riverboat just follows.
Sadly, our trip has come to an end. I haven't had this much fun in a long time. We all learned so much to improve our painting skills, we had a ton of fun and made new friends.
I hope you enjoyed this "Imaginary Trip to New Orleans"....the good times did roll!
I'm now off on "A Visit to the Garden" with my new art friends.
