An Artist of Nature and Flight

John James Audubon

John James Audubon     Flamingo                         from google image

Roseate Spoonbill                                            google image

Audubon(click) was born in the French colony which is now Haiti.  His Mother was of Creole birth.  He was a French/American.  His family moved from the Islands to Philadelphia.  For a period of time Audubon lived and worked in New Orleans tutoring and painting. There is a park and zoo named after him.  His legacy of a lover of birds and naturalist live on in the New Orleans, as well as, Key West and Philadelphia. He love of nature and birds were paramount and his talent unparalleled as a naturalist.  

"From his earliest days, Audubon had an affinity for birds. "I felt an intimacy with them...bordering on frenzy [that] must accompany my steps through life." His father encouraged his interest in nature:

"he would point out the elegant movement of the birds, and the beauty and softness of their plumage. He called my attention to their show of pleasure or sense of danger, their perfect forms and splendid attire. He would speak of their departure and return with the seasons."  ^{from wikipedia} 

New Orleans is a city has been touched by many artists, writers, poets, musicians, and actors.  Edgar Degas also lived and painted in New Orleans.  He also had a Mother of Creole birth.  His time in New Orleans helped to re-orient himself as an artist...he found his way and went back to France to become a world famous artist and do the best work of his career.  

OGDEN MUSEUM OF SOUTHERN ART

Detail of Sculpture outside Ogden Museum 
photo by Elizabeth Gordon

Ogden Museum/New Orleans
Photo by Elizabeth Gordon

The Ogden Museum of Southern Art (click for link) in New Orleans is a unique museum.  It highlights artists of the Southern USA, past and present.  There is a permanent collection of fine artists, folk art, and outsider art.  The book store has a rich collection of art books on Southern artists, art and culture.  They also carry cd's of blues and jazz music that is particular to the South.  
When I entered the museum I asked whether I needed to check my camera and they said no as long as I didn't use a flash I could take photo's.  Big mistake for me, I proceeded to photograph almost the whole collection artist by artist, painting by painting for you, so we can take a virtual tour no matter where in the world you live!  I will do a series of post highlighting different artists and their work over the next week.  


One of the highlights for me was discovering an artist by the name of Christopher Clark who once lived and worked in Tampa, Florida. I had taken private art classes from him in the afternoons when I was in high school.  He was an elite artist of the area who painted portraits of wealthy upper class families.   Even in the 1960's his work went for $500 for a small portrait.  He had been trained at the famous art school of the Bauhaus in Germany and was an excellent artist. He trained us to draw the same way he was taught at the Bauhaus.  His paintings were awesome, as he used layer upon layer of tinting similar to the techniques of the old masters. It gave them a richness and depth that is rarely seen.  He came to New Orleans often and painted the people and scenery.  The painting that you see here is The Crap Shooter.  One of the paintings I saw in his studio in Tampa was of a cajun family in the Bayou.  It was one of his finest works.  I would love to know where it is now.  

The Crap Shooter by Christopher Clark                       photo by Elizabeth Gordon

Detail of painting The Crap Shooter          photo by Elizabeth Gordon

We were young art students from local high schools that were recommended by our art teacher for additional training if our parents could afford to pay for the tutoring.  Chris lived in a run down two story house near the river in a questionable part of town.  He was probably in his 60's then...his hair was always tousled and shirt unbuttoned with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth and ashes falling about.  There were cats everywhere and their left over tuna fish cans became his ashtrays.  There were many young men about and I was later to understand that Chris was probably a gay man, but I was unaware in those days.  Amid all of those things art was taught to young high schools students and the parents gladly paid for their children to learn from such a wonderful master artist even if the circumstances were a bit odd...after all it was an artist and artist are expected to be different!

Team Detroit Ad Series on Art Education

Rabbit's Moon Studio Likes: Team Detroit


This is an excellent Ad series on Art Education.  Check out the creative agency of Team Detroit for awe inspiring ads or as the English would say "adverts".  

By Team Detroit

This is a wonderful advertising campaign for art school that uses a format like anti-drugs ads.  They are quite creative and really catch your attention and make you think.  As a career art educator and art advocate I just really loved this series.  I thought you might like these as well.

By Team Detroit 

By Team Detroit

  

 NEW ORLEANS 

Rabbits Moon on Location 

 

Tattoo and Piercing Salon on Magazine Street in New Orleans

Here we are on location in New Orleans.  It is hot and sultry, it is the Big Easy approaching a long hot summer when the Quarter steams and fans swirls on wrought iron balconies.  A mint julep or cold ice tea helps a bit in the sweltering heat.  Southern gentlemen wear seersucker suites and ladies linens for the hot summer days. 
As we noted before this is a city of neighborhoods, each distinct in its own way. Magazine Street is one of my favorite neighborhoods.  It is filled with interesting shops of all kinds.  There are antique shops, junk shops, tattoo and piercing parlors, cafes and coffee houses.  Shaded oak sidewalks and old store fronts that are reborn from dry good stores into yogurt shops make for interesting walks and adventures.  
The photo above of the Tattoo Shop was taken along Magazine street.  The neon devil shinning through the palm fronds caught my eye.   

New Orleans

“I'm not going to lay down in words the lure of this place. 

Every great writer in the land, from Faulkner to Twain to Rice 

to Ford, has tried to do it and fallen short. It is impossible to 

capture the essence, tolerance, and spirit of south Louisiana in 

words and to try is to roll down a road of clichés, bouncing 

over beignets and beads and brass bands and it just is what it is.

It is home.” ― Chris Rose, 


1 Dead in Attic

Tourist walking the quarter, 4 million tourists a year come to New Orleans!

Iron balconies, a French Quarter Signature

Art Gallery, window still life

tourist store in the Quarter late afternoon

Jamming brass band on the corner

Rabbits Moon Studio Blog Arrives in New Orleans

Today we arrived in the big easy, as they call New 


Orleans.  Driving in last night we saw new Bubble dog 


public sculptures, new murals and various


unexplored galleries.  There are wonderful photo 


opportunities at every turn as New Orleans is busy 


full of life and cultural variety.  So tomorrow we 


start our explorations and your virtual tour of New


Orleans!  Tonight we rest! 








"In America, I would say New York and New 


Orleans are the two most interesting food towns. In 


New Orleans, they don't have a bad deli. There's no 


mediocrity accepted."

-- Mario Batali