The Aviary Art Show : 5 : Great Pair

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*This post is the fifth in The Aviary Art Show series of paintings and posts, from the Aviary Art Gallery" of wild bird paintings at Artinua.Org .*

Having heeded the warnings that New Orleans would fill up like a bowl in a major storm our family finally had that last good reason needed to make the move to an outlying suburban community. Like many other families seeking high ground, better schools, safer neighborhoods, better streets and more, we left the things, places and people that we loved and migrated north. Like these great egrets perched in the canopy over the swamp, we perched above the swamps and low-lying areas on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain.

New Orleans lies on the south shore of the lake, a 24-mile long bridge away. Like many families who sought refuge from the urban decay and flooding, we commuted back into the city frequently. What were daily trips at first gradually became semi-weekly and eventually infrequent or rare. Like so many who have left urban areas we gradually divorced ourselves from the businesses that we had once frequented, choosing to patronize those nearer to our new home. We began to seek entertainment and activities locally. Crime rates and long commutes caused us to reconsider even the festivals that had once drawn us into the city. Once-close friends and relatives faded into the obscurity of distance as new relationships were cultivated with those who shared our new community and our reasons for leaving.

Having "escaped" the cultural decay, anticipating the failure of the levees to come, and surrounded by the beauty of a new community with low crime and many assets, a heaviness and longing had settled on my heart. We make these choices I thought, just as immigrants make these choices, to leave the comfort of the familiar behind and take chances for their own futures and the futures of their children and grandchildren. Like them I longed to help my former community survive, grow and prosper.



There is a kind of survival guilt that comes with avoiding or overcoming those things, people, places and events that have affected others adversely. It prompts people to activism, to putting themselves in harms way to help in recovery efforts and to donations to charity. Some return to resettle and contribute. Others never experience these things, but move on with their lives without looking back. It was in a state of thoughtfulness about this that I painted this painting in 2004.


Title : Great Pair


Media : Acrylic on canvas,


Artist : Victoria John (Ritterbush)


Description: Two great egrets perch in lush cypress canopy high above the swamp below.

Artinua.Org



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The Aviary Art Show : 1 : Nola Vanitas Unveiled

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This is the first in a series of original oil paintings of wild birds to be included in The Aviary Art Show by wildlife artist Victoria A. John. The oil painting of a tree swallow is framed by the sculpture of a window.



In August of 2005, a massive hurricane called Katrina devastated parts of the southern part of the United States known as the Gulf Coast. The storm destroyed entire communities in Louisiana and Mississippi, and while the world-famous city of New Orleans was largely spared, levee failures resulted in one of the most devastating events of our time. It was during this event and in it's aftermath, that the cries of the people of New Orleans were heard around the world. This was my city, my home, and my people, and my heart broke with them.



In the suburban areas around New Orleans, where many of us had fled years before in search of better schools, lower crime and a cleaner environment we were without electricity and largely unable to obtain even the most basic necessities. Telephone lines were down; as were cell towers. In this void, only those with satellite access were able to see what the rest of the world was seeing on their televisions and computers. For those of us without these resources there were live radio broadcasts of frantic callers from inside the city, screaming, crying and begging for help that, in many cases, was too late in arriving.




As an artist, I found that the oil painting alone couldn't express all that I felt or thought about the event. By placing the painting into a frame that is also a sculpture I was able to arrive at a more complete artistic expression. The title of this artwork is a combination of Nola; which is a common reference to New Orleans, and Vanitas, a reference to emptiness. The No La also refers to New Orleans, Louisiana and the absence of la, or the "song" of the people of New Orleans that is the treasure that made New Orleans such an extraordinary experience, and more than any place or city could ever be.




As a hub city for the coastal area surrounding it, New Orleans had more than it's own unique history of Spanish, French and American rule; it also had the flavors and cultures of people from around the world, nestled in the swamps and bayous of it's original inhabitants. Sharing their love of food, music, celebration, and all kinds of multi-cultural contributions, this city of small businesses, front porches, parade routes and so much more, had arrived in that moment to a point of complete emptiness, empty of joy, empty of dance and empty of song.



More about New Orleans





Nola Vanitas Unveiled: Part 1 of the online version of The Aviary Art Show, copyright 2008, Victoria John (Ritterbush). You can view more work by this artist at Artinua.Org.


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