Back in NOLA

© Frank Relle

After a whirlwind weekend home in the NYC, I am back in New Orleans working on the Do You Know What It Means project. I had to make the trip to home to attend a wedding and host a "meet the artist" gathering of The Contemporaries in my studio. I love New York to death, but I am beginning to love leaving it more.

New Orleans is an amazing place. The spirit of the city and its inhabitants slowly envelopes you. As you spend more time in the city, speaking with people, wandering through the neighborhoods, tasting the delicious food and taking in the stunning architecture you feel as if you are immersed in a warm soup. I’ve met some amazing people down here. Last week I had dinner at the house of Vanessa and Jeff Louviere, really nice people and talented artists. Ever since I first saw their work at Brian Clamp’s gallery early this summer I’ve been a fan of their eerie and evocative approach to photography.

Another photographer, Frank Relle, has generously driven me all over the city to survey the devastation and search for participants for Do You Know What it Means. In addition to being a great guy Frank is a thoughtful and intelligent photographer. His images of New Orleans houses at night are simply stunning. As anyone who follows the contemporary photography scene knows, dozens of photographers have stampeded through the city since Katrina taking very similar pictures of debris and destroyed and abandoned houses. MAO recently posted an amusing and dead on take on the glut of Katrina images. Frank’s work rises above those attempts. He’s also a class act. Please check out his images if you are not already familiar with them.