At age 12, Terry Gaulter’s “eyes opened to the world” when she laid hands on a Polaroid camera.
“Seeing the photograph instantly of what I had just taken really excited me,” said Terry Gaulter of Ormond. “It opened up my eyes to the world around me. It was then I knew what I wanted to do.”
Gaulter’s art earned her Best of Show for her entry, “Desire” and People’s Choice award for her work, “Preservation Hall,” in the St. Charles Art Guild’s annual showcase that included 78 entries in acrylics, batik, watercolor, pastel, oils, photos and ceramics. Of these entries, 49 were in the juried contest. Artist Robin Daning of New Orleans judged the entries.
All entries are on display at the Crescent City Brewhouse on Decatur Street in the French Quarter this month.
“I was surprised and excited,” Gaulter said also winning third place (under glass) for her “New Orleans Wine Bar” photograph. “When I take a photo, my mind’s eye sees it differently than the way it actually comes out. Sometimes I visualize it with more vibrancy so I use Photoshop to enhance it to the way I wanted to see it. That isn’t always the way others want to see it. For ‘Desire,’ I created the streetcar from multiple streetcar photos I had, thus giving it a more colorful animated streetcar.”
Joan Robbins of Hahnville welcomed affirmation for her artistic skills by taking first place (under glass) for her “Plumeria” photograph. Robbins also placed first (not under glass) for her ceramic piece, “A Quiet Place.”
“There is only one reason I do art – it makes me feel good to produce something that other people will enjoy looking at,” she said. “I get to tell the world, through my art, what’s important to me.”
Robbins has been dabbling in photography since her 20’s.
“I bought a 35 mm camera and processing equipment and had fun learning things on my won,” she said. “Then life got in the way and I photographed my kids and the many vacation trips we took as they grew up. Of course, this was in a time when every snap cost money. Now that photographs are taken in digits, I can take bunches of pictures and choose the ones I like best.”
Mary Lou Liberty’s passion is oil.
Liberty took second place for her painting, “Free Range,” and third place for “Cajun Cottage.”
“I felt grateful and humbled to win in the company of so many fine pieces of art,” Liberty said. “I find inspiration in the way light affects the color of the landscape and the objects in it and I seem to be better able to capture the atmosphere of a scene in oils.”
Guild President Laurie Abadie of Willowdale won honorable mention for her photograph (under glass), “Everybody’s a Critic.”
On winning, Abadie said it was beyond exciting and embarrassing because she didn’t expect her work to get attention.
“I crave strong colors, have been the most successful with pastels and watercolors and photos – and am learning to tame acrylics,” Abadie said. “When planting and pruning my gardens, I seem to select bushes and flowers like I’m painting them on a canvas.”
Her first memory of “art” involved color.
Abadie recalled Crayolas and torn out pages from a coloring book handed out to her as a preschooler scattered around the floor after snacks. She loved this time and fondly recalled waiting for it to come around again.
“After retirement, I asked my art friends where I should go to learn art, and then spent a few years in classes at the New Orleans Academy of Fine Art, “ she said. “I was introduced to gouache, watercolors and pastel techniques along with drawing classes.”
Guild members Shirley Colomb placed second (under glass) for her batik, “Sunflower,” and Olga Bannister took an honorable mention (not under glass) for her acrylic “Rodie’s.” Both artists live in Jefferson Parish.
For local artists, art is about embracing life.
According to Gaulter, “ … a piece of art reflects a moment in time in which it triggers an emotion inside me. It brings back memories from a different time and you get that warm tingly feeling inside you.”
For Robbins, art is expression.
“Art gives everyone the opportunity to express themselves in so many ways,” she said. “It is what separates us from other animals. It is a language that crosses barriers of race, cultures, education, and environment. People feel good about themselves when they create.”
Liberty said art offers different views.
“I believe that art encourages people to see the world through another person’s eyes, and to stop and really look in a new way.”
To Abadie, art takes her to another mental plane.
“Doing art takes me into another brain zone, onto a different mental track. When working on an art piece, I forget to eat lunch. Time flies. And whatever stresses or problems I had, they are more manageable after an artistic session.”
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