Artist Statement: In August and October 2004 I started to photograph colloquial architecture throughout the city of New Orleans. The pictures are about my hometown and its people. I concentrated my efforts in lower and lower-middle income neighborhoods as I felt that those homes most accurately reflect the realities of life in New Orleans. What I found there ranged from pristinely maintained creole cottages to tiny shotgun houses slowly being demolished by neglect. The photos were made in a full frontal documentary style and in color. I had a solo show of this work in January 2005 at the Pennsylvania College of Art and Design Gallery in Lancaster, PA. In August of 2005 Hurricane Katrina hit and 80% of the city was plunged under water for weeks. What had previously been a slow and steady disintegration became in many cases rapid and com-plete. I returned to New Orleans the day after the search for bodies was called off in early October. I spent time with family and helped salvage some of their belongings from their destroyed homes. I found and rephoto-graphed many of the locations I visited in 2004. I say locations because in some instances the houses are completely gone. I made hundreds of new pictures of strange things I found, the city felt like a ghost town.
Inliquid artist member John Woodin will be showing his work at the 1401 Gallery at the University of the Arts. The Show opens March 17 and runs through April 7. The opening reception is Friday March 17, 5:30 - 7:30 pm.
