These past few Saturdays, in a special blog series, we’ve been sharing works of art from our staff’s personal art collections. Now that we’ve shared some of our treasured works, we are taking a look at the collections of our members! Our members, like us, love Southern art, so we’re excited to see what they decide to share. This week, members Amanda Credeur and Stephen Roques are sharing works by James Henderson, Sarah House and Emilie Rhys!
Growing up, I was surrounded with the art process itself; having artists in the family, you see their process in their studio, and not really a collection of pieces. Childhood visits to the museums in New Orleans is the only time and place I ever saw collections. With that perspective of a collection, I never thought of myself as a collector. Now, as a Kohlmeyer Circle member, I have had the opportunity to be inspired by personal collections around the city. My walls still include family pieces, unsigned and unfinished personal work, and a lot of local artists, from Jackson Square to students at Yaya. Here I want to highlight three pieces we were able to acquire from the Ogden’s fundraisers, O What a Night and Magnolia Ball. From visiting as a child, to now being a part of the Kohlmeyer Circle, the love and appreciation for what the Odgen does grows every year – along with my collection.
The moment I saw James Henderson’s piece, Decadent Decay, I was in awe, as though this piece was commissioned for me. I wanted to hang this piece in a prominent location, yet somewhere I would see it often. This piece now hangs by our front door because every guest will see it, but more importantly, I can see it from the kitchen, where I spend a large amount of my time.
James Henderson, Decadent Decay, 2014, Mixed media on canvas, 40 x 40″
Sarah House’s Ad Infinitum 5, is a fractal piece that reminded me and my husband of our time in Grenada, a very mountainous Caribbean island. Our master bathroom was modeled after a bathroom we fell in love with in the Caribbean, and so that is where the piece hangs. The mirror affords you different angles of the fractals within the work – or the mountain region we miss.
Sarah House, Ad Infinitum 5, 2012, Porcelain, 20 x 10 x 6″
The most recent piece we joyously acquired is Emilie Rhys’ Ashlin Parker. My husband and I are music lovers and appreciated how you can hear the music simply by looking at the work. This piece is a bit different from Emilie’s usual pieces, but as are all of her works, it is a perfect tribute to the music and the musician. Extra special is that we were able to meet both Ashlin and Emilie at O What a Night while admiring the piece. Moments like these, are why we truly love and appreciate the Ogden.
Emilie Rhys, Ashlin Parker, 2019, Oil on copper (incised by the artist using etching tools), 8 x 10″
Contributed by Amanda Credeur