This morning I am working on a painting based on the photograph above taken near Grayson, Louisiana. The contrast of red and green and the arresting site of the boat up in the air as a clever advertisement for Riverton Marina compelled me to turn around on the highway and go back to take a photograph.  Unfortunately, I did not have time to photograph all of the interesting signage along the road.

On Friday, May 30, 2014 I started my first official trip for My Louisiana Portrait Project to collect portraits and record stories from the people of Louisiana. 

My first trip was in conjunction with two workshops that I gave at the Masur Museum.  The staff of the Masur invited me to stay in their Artist Residency apartment for a few days.  I met people through the workshop and was able to photograph those who volunteered for my project and record some of their stories about their families and growing up in Louisiana.

The above image is the river bank of the Ouachita River directly behind the Masur Museum of Art.

The project that I am working on is a portrait of Louisiana through its people and land.  The resulting body of work will include a series of painted and drawn portraits, a series of painted landscapes, an audio installation and a paper room that viewers will sit in and be surrounded by images on transparent paper.

I expect this project to take 3-5 years to complete.  The first year and a half I will concentrate on collecting images and information.  I will be collecting portraits and recordings from all areas of the state.  At this point I have taken portraits of people from Shreveport, Lake Charles, the Monroe area and Lebeau, LA.  My next planned trips are in July:  Lafayette, New Iberia, Baton Rouge, Gonzales and New Orleans; August: Delhi, Winnsboro, Bastrop and Tallulah.

If you are interested in participating with the project please contact me at lisa@lisaqualls.com.