Art Galleries
Avenue Art
By Suzanne PfefferleLakeview is coming back better than ever, and Avenue Art is proof. In a neighborhood in need of some art appreciation, this gallery, which is tucked in between a brand new restaurant and a Saints shop, supplies the perfect solution.
Among the artists featured in the Harrison Avenue gallery is New Orleans’ own Jennifer Porter. Porter, who is currently rebuilding her home in the Lakeview area, strives to paint a “unique portrait of the city” for her audience. The innovative artist shows her versatility by experimenting with different techniques. With a background in graphic design and visual arts, she’s created several sculptures, murals, paintings, and even rococo, which is silk embroidery. Currently, she’s providing sketches for TJ Fisher’s Hearsay from Heaven and Hades: New Orleans Secrets of Sinners and Saints, a book illustrating the emotional unrest felt during the days following Katrina.
Margie Tillman Ayres also proudly portrays her artwork on the walls of Avenue Art. Originally from Mississippi, Ayres moved to New Orleans to take part in its “artistic rebirth,” which lends credit to her creative designs. Before moving to the Big Easy, she studied at the Savannah College of Art and Design, where she focused in metals and jewelry. Since then, she’s produced paintings and truly original jewelry. She’s also illustrating a children’s book, The Park and Me, by local author Brod Bagert.
Along with vibrant paintings, Avenue Art features exceptional photography by Ronnie Cardwell. He believes the key to capturing the perfect picture is by being in “the right place at the right time.” He travels throughout Louisiana, exploring the hills, swamps, and culturally diverse cities, recording what he sees with his camera. He hopes to “evoke the same appreciation of beauty and same sense of emotion” that he has experienced from his audience. He achieves these reactions by experimenting with light and color, which breathes life into each work of art.
Neil Mabry is another local artist on display in the gallery. Mabry “enjoys the freedom of abstract painting.” She applies color pigments from Southern France and blends them into brilliant designs of contrasting colors. She also uses symbols to convey messages on the canvas. In fact, she uses three circles in each painting to represent her three children, proving that there are “so many possibilities through different shapes and colors.” She achieves success in her abstract art with colorful acrylics and different brush techniques, giving each painting a stroke of originality.
Martin Welch also shares a spot in Avenue Art. Welch is an innovative artist with the ability to turn everyday objects into art. He claims that he doesn’t “overlook insignificant things, because often they become the foundation of ideas.” Whether he’s using oils or acrylics, he applies his imagination onto canvas, cardboard boxes, and even shoes. “I paint with the colors of my emotions and the influences of living life,” he says.
This roster of talent proves that it’s a gallery pioneering the art scene in a close-knit community. Avenue Art is painting a colorful new beginning and a bright future in Lakeview.