Painting New Orleans Blog

Art and Life

I’ve been thinking about how my personal life finds its way into my art.  That’s probably because my life has been a bit bumpy lately as we are trying to buy our first house and it’s a lot more stressful than I anticipated—especially in the crazy New Orleans real estate market. 

These days my artwork reflects both the joys of life and some of its challenges. After Hurricane Katrina it was a rough time for me as I struggled to deal with my sense of loss in the face of all that destruction and my growing awareness of impermanence in life.  My artwork was   dark and scary to outside observers---- black-and-white paper collages of Katrina scenes with burned edges.   Those collages helped me to confront my fear of change and chaos head-on. 

"Angelo Brocato's," 25" x 18," Private Collection

My artwork became much lighter when I returned to New Orleans.  I fell in love with the city again.  I couldn’t get enough of the scents of flowers, the brightly colored houses, and I was just as surprised as anyone that I could put some of that joy and energy into a painting.  I got married to a woman that I love; I had a son; and I got to live my dream of becoming a full-time artist.  I was not really prepared for those blessings and I still sometimes think I don’t deserve the happiness that they bring.

 “August Flowers, Touro,”  24” x 30,”  Private Collection

But even with these blessings I still have moments of doubt and fear, which is perhaps  best captured in my twilight scenes.   To quote Garrison Keillor on a Prairie Home Companion, “No matter who we are, each one of us will have our share of sorrow.  We can’t outsmart life.” When I look at the twilight scenes, I get a sense of both hope and fear, neither emotion dominant, but both felt powerfully.  It’s my way of conveying both my dread of the darkness in our world, but also my faith in its beauty.  With my artwork I get to have my cake and eat it too---- it’s a way to let the darkness in but not be overwhelmed by it.  Here are some new paintings created with that in mind.

“Bayou St. John Panorama,” 36” x 60,” $1,795

"Walking Along Bayou St. John," 36" x 48," $1,495

"Trees on the Bayou," 11" x 14," $195

Thanks for reading,

Adam K Hall

[email protected]

www.adamkhall.com