Mardi Gras 2013 Spirit Poster

The familiar signs of Mardi Gras are popping up all around New Orleans. Your King Cakes, your domino masks, your pounds upon pounds of plastic beads. But there is a new addition to the Mardi Gras dcor this year in the form of the beautiful, creepy "Spirit Portrait" Mardi Gras poster by Amzie Adams.

Amzie is a Faubourg-Marigny resident and internationally famous artist. This creator of music, photographs, films and paintings has made his home in New Orleans for nearly fifty years. Since 1982, Amzie has created a new painting or poster specifically for Carnival each and every year. His posters have depicted masked revelers, spirit dancers, and various musicians from all walks of life including street performers, Doctor John, Little Freddie King and even KISS.

Amzie's work, which he says falls into the realm of "post-impressionisitic spacialism" is sometimes surreal, sometimes lifelike, and always intriguing. His work radiates a spirit of New Orleans so many visitors come to the Crescent City to experience. It incorporates the French and Spanish architecture of the city in addition to the various religious cultures of New Orleans, especially the Haitian influx of the 1800s, which brought the city its' distinct Creole Cottage and Voodoo. Amzie paints images that are at the crossroads of bohemia and historic New Orleans culture, and always with a hint of the psychedelic. His latest poster "Spirit Portrait" is no different.

The poster image began as a photograph of a woman that Amzie was to use as the basis for a painting; but when he began his work something interesting happened. A kaleidoscope of symbols surfaced in the woman's picture. Within the image one can find Vincent Van Gogh, a Peace Dove, a white rabbit, a purple clown blowing fire, a Unicorn with a gas mask, and a slew of other symbols for the keen eyed observer to find.

So Amzie's task became not to capture her bodily image but rather to paint what he saw as her spirit and aura. The painting itself is a blend of life and death, the main image being reminiscent of the Mexican Day of the Dead sugar skull. The skull has flowers sprouting from the crown, symbolizing the rebirth and resurrection that has been part of Amzie's work in the years since Hurricane Katrina.

While the poster does resemble a Mardi Gras mask, a Mardi Gras mask is supposed to hide your identity, while the Spirit Portrait reveals it.

Anthony Faia was born in New Orleans and grew up in Kansas City, Mo and The Woodlands, Tx. He studied film and literature at Louisiana State University and received an MFA in screen writing from the University of Texas. His short fiction "Down at the Crossroads" won the LSU John Ed Bradley Award, and his script "The Curse of William Legg" was featured in the University of Texas Hollywood Showcase. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2546823/bio

Source: http://articles.submityourarticle.com/mardi-gras-2013-spirit-poster-316074

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