Painting New Orleans Blog

I decided recently to paint the famous Oak Alley Plantation just as the sun comes up. Even though I was not keen on heading out to rural Louisiana at that hour of the day (the Plantation is one and a half hours from New Orleans) I had a feeling that something great could happen.

I got up at three in the morning, packed my equipment and embarked on a drive that seemed to take forever. It was cold and damp when I arrived, and I had to park far away from the plantation. Walking in the ditch by the side of the road to get to the plantation, I was afraid that the cars swooping by on that curvy river road wouldn’t see me or that someone would think I didn’t belong there. What was I, essentially a city boy, doing in small-town Louisiana at six in the morning? It sure felt a long way from home. However, as the sun rose over the levee, my mood improved. I was happily surprised that the lights inside the house were on, even though it wouldn’t open for visitors for another four hours. The Plantation felt like a mirage shimmering in the desert---the lights blazing bright after two hours of darkness ---but it was real, and it was wonderful!!

Oak Alley on that morning.

Here is the finished painting; I think it was worth the trip.

"Oak Alley at Dawn" 24" x 30" $545

Thanks for reading.

Adam K Hall

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