When I earned my MFA in photography and sculpture, I moved
to New Orleans to take a working position as a marine surveyor.
That job kept me from producing much three-dimensional work,
but I always had my camera with me.
New Orleans and the surrounding area influenced my art
to a degree that I am still overwhelmed by the effect. It's
not like any other American city; it's more like the northernmost
capital of Guatemala. Just like the food, music, architecture,
people and environment, it is a gumbo of mixed hybrid elements.
The vivid bright celebration of colors, the soft contrast
when the fog rolls into the city at night, the flamboyant
feathers and beadwork of the Mardi Gras Indians and the
water covers on the sidewalk... It's an artist's paradise
(as long as they don't forget to hose down the place).
