Sarah Stiehl

Another interesting part of New Orleans that is seen pretty much everywhere is artwork of all kinds. Paintings, drawings, and photography covers the fences in Jackson Square and art galleries are sprinkled throughout the French Quarter. Sometimes that specific artist is manning the shops but other times someone else is watching and trying to sell the pieces for them. Everyone is so friendly though and don’t even act judgmental when my group of clearly broke college students walk in casually dressed asking questions about several hundred-dollars-worth of artwork. It is easy to see that a lot of the people who decide to create some type of art are able to find inspiration throughout the city. A lot of the art that is visible in New Orleans is of the beautiful architecture and the interesting people they see around town. One artist that I really liked, I found in a gallery called the Vieux Carre Fine Art Gallery in the French Quarter. This gallery is one that will feature mostly one artist at a time, if they have enough material, until that person decides to move on or until the gallery decides they are ready to feature another local artist. The gallery enjoyed catering to artists that love New Orleans and are inspired by certain characteristics of the city. One of the paintings caught my eye from outside because it seemed to be somewhat abstract. It was of a band playing several instruments, but the colors are bright while kind of blurry and the human figure is more cartoon-like than realistic. I like it because it is depicting a group of Jazz musicians which is a New Orleans staple. 

I thought that this specific artist was interesting because she does all different kinds of paintings. Some of her paintings are more realistic looking with muted coloring and some of them are extremely bright, uplifting, cheery paintings. She has paintings of people who inspired her, the St. Louis cathedral, Jackson Square, Pirates Alley and other parts of the French Quarter, beautiful homes, and even a little bit of food. 

(This is my favorite painting because I am in love with the architecture and funky colored houses in New Orleans. I have seen houses that are similar to the colors in this painting so it isn't even an exaggeration.) 

It seems like she is interested and enjoys painting all different things, which is cool because I am used to artists having a specialty. She uses all different mediums as well, as some of her paintings are pastels, some are oil, and some are on canvas while others are not.

Unfortunately, she was not in that gallery when I was there to visit. I didn’t get to meet her but I did get to meet other artists that had their work displayed in Jackson Square. They are always eager to come up and introduce themselves and talk about their work without being pushy about trying to sell it. Some of it is very expensive, but I think that if a piece really spoke to me and I had somewhere in my house to display it, I wouldn’t mind spending a decent amount of money to have a part of an artist’s talent and creativity. It turns out that Sarah Steihl, the artist I have been blabbering on about, has been painting for over thirty years and has lived in New Orleans since the 1970’s. She also attended the New Orleans Academy of Art before traveling all over Paris and France. Stiehl has made a name for herself by using bright bold colors and making her paintings have a way of coming to life.

I really liked this artist Sarah Stiehl’s work for several reasons. For one thing, I noticed the first oil painting I attached to this blog from outside on a day that the gallery hadn’t quite opened yet. The colors were so bright it just caught my eye and I was curious to see more. I drug my friends back there later to get inside and get a better look. I absolutely love brightly colored art, even though I couldn’t put it up in my house because it is decorated in a very rustic style and out in the country. I think that the bright color is what attracted me but I also enjoyed how much like caricature art it was, like the band really has its own personality. I also am so impressed with some of the buildings that are in New Orleans, especially in the French Quarter, so the fact that Stiehl focuses her artwork on some of those aspects of the city is really interesting. I think it is so cool how into their city the New Orleans natives are. Everyone that talks about it is so obviously proud of the uniqueness in the city. I really loved walking through some of the galleries and thinking to myself, “Oh, I know that place. That is the Pontalba building, or there is Jackson Square and the cathedral.” I feel so great to be able to recognize some of these places and get an idea about the feelings these iconic places must bring to the locals and other people visiting. We have learned so much about the history and seeing it portrayed in a beautiful painting or photograph is really cool. I find it awesome that the artists can find a muse in either the physical aspects of the city or the people and different parts of their cultures. I think the story that this specific artist is trying to tell is just the story of New Orleans and all that it has to offer. From the unique buildings, musicians, culinary delicacies, and extremely interesting history, New Orleans is just the place to be if you’re looking to find inspiration. Even an artist that may not be interested in music could accurately depict a musician because they are everywhere. i saw several artists throughout the city and most of them all used the city as their inspiration. In Chicago, we do see a lot of CityScapes and things of that nature but it just doesn't seem like there is as much culture that people can actually absorb because there is so much violence unfortunately. 

There's a Tear in My Beer

New Orleans is known as the birthplace of Jazz and it can be experienced literally all over the city. Jazz musicians usually play brass or woodwind instruments. From street corners to restaurants and bars, local amateur and professional musicians can be heard year round. Milton, one of our tour guides, said that Jazz obviously has things that other types of music has, like melody and different notes and time signatures, but what sets it apart is the fact that there is also a lot of improvisation. New Orleans was the only place in the country that did allow slaves to play instruments in a band, but they were not allowed to play in an interracial band or to play on the same stage as an all-white band. They say that Jazz music is a combination of African beats and classical music. Louis Armstrong is probably one of the most well-known Jazz musicians from New Orleans. On a tour, we learned that Louis Armstrong left New Orleans to travel and play music all around the country, but when he came back, he was still feeling an extreme amount of racial tension, so he chose to stay away. Despite this, there is a park named after him, Armstrong Park, and within it is Congo Square. We were able to visit this site which was considered to be somewhat of a retreat for black slaves when they got their Sundays off work. They were able to go and play music and spend time with family members and friends in a space that was theirs.

            It seems that music, especially Jazz, really is a way of life. The tour guide, Milton, told us that music is not made in New Orleans but it is felt. We quickly found out that everything in New Orleans is done big! Even funerals are considered a celebration and people can still be a part of organizations that will make sure that the member gets a Jazz Funeral if they so choose. When someone gets married in New Orleans, they can choose to have a Second Line celebration, which basically means they get to parade down the street being followed by a band, most likely a Jazz band.

            When you walk around New Orleans, especially near the French Quarter and Jackson Square, you will hear music. Some musicians will play by themselves, like today when we saw a man playing a horn by himself and sounding amazing. Or sometimes people play in a band together, with several different instruments. We saw many bands while we were walking through the French Quarter. They use old five gallon buckets for stools and old wash boards for instruments in some cases. It really is amazing to see (or hear, really) what can be done with a handmade instrument. If you ever decide to visit New Orleans, I highly suggest bring cash so that if you really enjoy a certain band or musician, you can let them know how much you appreciate their talent by throwing a dollar or two into their tip jars. I just think about how much time they are spending on the street, even in the cold weather, providing entertainment for people and they really appreciate when they are noticed. 

            As I said, everywhere you go in New Orleans, you are going to hear live music. Sometimes it is just instrumental and sometimes there is someone singing along. Usually there is no cover at the bars and often times, the musicians are just playing on the corner or in the middle of a street and hoping some kind souls will drop a few dollars in their tip jars. Music really can speak to a person. I know I personally love listening to different types of music and trying to understand the lyrics. I can hear a song and it will bring up a memory from years ago. every time I hear “Crash,” by The Dave Matthews Band, I think back to sixth grade because it was playing in the background when my mom sat my sisters and I down and told us that we were moving. I was devastated because I did not want to quit cheerleading in the middle of the season and I did not want to leave my friends. It still makes me feel kind of sad when I hear it, but it is also bittersweet because so many things in my life changed for the better after that move. I also remember specific Hank Williams Junior songs, like “There’s a Tear in my Beer,” and every time I hear it I bawl hysterically because it reminds me so much of my grandpa who passed away suddenly about three years ago. luckily I don’t hear it often, but when I do, it makes me sad and then it makes me happy to remember some of the best times I had with him. It is crazy how much emotion can come from a song.

Being in New Orleans, you can definitely see and feel how much music means to the people there. Music can bring people out of some really difficult times. It is awesome to see the city support such a huge musical community and allow them to do something they love while making somewhat of a living at the same time. Hopefully, some of them are making it work enough to support themselves or possible even their families. I tried to learn how to play the guitar but I ended up stopping several years ago. I took lessons from a professional and then my son’s father bought me a guitar and tried to teach me more later on. Eventually I just gave up trying to make time for it since I wasn’t really getting anywhere with it, but it is something I really wish I would have stuck with. I just think having a talent like that is amazing and even if I wasn’t very talented, I did enjoy playing sometimes just for fun.

Another thing about New Orleans and music that is just amazing to me, is that there is footage of people playing their instruments among the wreckage and debris after Hurricane Katrina. I think that playing those prized and sacred instruments probably really brought some solace to people, especially if that was one of the few possessions that didn’t get ruined in the storm.