Caliche & Pao

After exploring the many galleries on Royal Street, I walked into one gallery and I immediately knew that I would be writing this blog post about it. This gallery was bright, colorful, and it smelled of wet paint. The gallery belonged to two artists known as Caliche and Pao. They are husband and wife, and they create some of the most unique pieces of art that I have ever seen. There was not very much information about these two artists. Caliche was born in Bogota, Columbia, and he is inspired by his childhood in Columbia as well as his many years he has spent in New Orleans. He paints French Quarter lampposts playing jazz instruments, and his own versions of New Orleans architecture. Pao is Caliche's wife, and she was born in Montevideo, Uruguay. She attended a fine arts school in Venezuela, and her first pieces of art were inspired by her culture and Italian heritage. She is now inspired by the city of New Orleans, specifically the architecture in the French Quarter. She was drawn to New Orleans, and she paints the landscape, flowers, and architecture seen in the French Quarter of the city.

Their pieces of art have been described as "whimsical" and I think that is the perfect word for it. Their work is bright and colorful. The reason why the gallery smelled of wet paint is because the paint on the canvas' was very thick in some spots. The paint was thick on the flowers hanging from the balcony, bushes, and leaves of the trees. There were even "Wet Paint. Do Not Touch" signs hanging through the gallery. Below is a photograph of the same photograph of the house above, but from the side. You can see the paint sticking out from the bushes and the flowers on the balcony. It is a little difficult to tell, but this was sticking out from the canvas almost a half of an inch. The paint was also thicker in other strokes on the canvas, but never as thick as the leaves on the trees, bushes, or flowers hanging from the balcony. This gave the painting an amazing 3D effect. Nearly all of their painting were painted using some odd curves and angles. I believe that the reason for this is to add to the 3D effect. The paintings are detailed, and it looks like there was care taken in each stroke of paint.

I am drawn the work done by these artists for a few different reasons. The reason why I walked into this specific gallery was the bright colors. Every single piece of art in that gallery was bright and colorful. I then noticed the leaves on the trees, the bushes, and the flowers on the balconies sticking out from the painting. This just struck me as so unique, and I feel like it requires a lot of talent to pull off that 3D effect. The next aspect that drew me to this art is the whimsical look of the art itself. It looks fun and lively. The lampposts are playing different instruments, and the buildings are curved and lit up with a warm glow. I enjoyed looking at each and every painting, and noticing each stroke of paint.
These pieces of art actually gave me a feeling of happiness. They made me appreciate New Orleans even more by portraying the architecture in such a fun and wonderful way. Also, seeing the lampposts drawn playing instruments as if they were people made me appreciative of the music that is everywhere in the city. It is as if each lamppost in the city is playing music because music is all around you in New Orleans.
I believe the story that this art tells is the story of New Orleans. People are drawn to New Orleans for many different reasons, such as art, music, architecture, partying, and many other reasons. The artists themselves came from different countries across the globe because they were drawn to this city. I believe they are trying to express all of the aspects of New Orleans into pieces of art. Perhaps the art that they create is how they perceive the city, and they paint the aspects of the city that they are most appreciative of. By painting the architecture and landscape in the way that they do, I believe it shows the love that these two artists have for New Orleans. Since their art has become popular, I believe many people inside and outside of New Orleans share the same love for this city.

I like the story that this art tells because I love the passion that people have for New Orleans. It is refreshing to me because nearly everyone from Peoria says that they cannot wait to leave Peoria or Illinois all together. In New Orleans, people do not want to leave, and they are proud of the city that they live in. While walking through the French Quarter I heard musicians playing for tips on the street say "Welcome to my city!" with pride in their voice. I feel as if that is something you do not hear very often in major cities, especially from those who may possibly make their living playing for tips.
This art spoke to me because it captured my favorite aspects of the city. First, I love the architecture in the French Quarter of New Orleans. The history of the city speaks through its architecture, and it seems like there is an interesting history behind every building in the French Quarter. Second, I enjoy the music of New Orleans, and it seemed like there was music all around you all the time. I thought it was very creative and interesting to portray the lampposts as musicians playing different instruments. Last, I love all of the different kinds of art in New Orleans. This style of painting is very interesting to me, and I appreciate the time and skill it took to create each one of these pieces.