I make art in response to the magical swirl of sights, sounds, scents and spirits that is New Orleans. I have a background in theater, and this city is a true primadonna that demands constant tribute in color.

 

With each picture I start out in the abstract until I find myself surprised and taken over by forms and figures. Words will come as I scratch and scry into layers of paint.

 

The revelers of Bourbon Street and the critters of dirt roads and crawl spaces reveal themselves, tell their stories, make a scene. Sometimes they mingle with the fairy tale creatures of my childhood in Germany. We are all immigrants here.

 

My subjects are royalty to me, kings and queens of an endless Mardi Gras parade that unites the living and the dead. Skulls, crowns, bottles and beads are their props and regalia. I celebrate their resilience and glorious exuberance in these abstract tales and soul portraits.