While writing my recent post on the "Swamp Palazzo" style of decoration which I feel is the quintessential New Orleans look, I decided to ask Rosemary James, the inventor of this term for an interview. Although we have lived and worked in the same city for many years, I have never had the good fortune to meet her, but I hope to soon.

I am so glad I decided to call her, because she graciously agreed to answer some questions which provide a personal history of the multi-talented and accomplished woman who is a writer, designer, journalist, and cultural advocate for the city.

What follows is an excerpt from our interview:

Tell us about your book, "My New Orleans:Ballads to the Big Easy by her Sons, Daughters, and Lovers."

My New Orleans came out of the Pirate's Alley Faulkner Society, a non-profit organization my husband and I co-founded after we purchased and renovated the house where William Faulkner wrote his first novel, 624 Pirate's Alley.

Faulkner House Bookstore on Pirate's Alley

The mission of the society is to help talented writers improve their work and get it published and to provide entertaining and enlightening programming for the general public. In helping writers over the years, I have been dealing with some of the best literary agents and editors in the country, one of whom is Michael Murphy, a native of Detroit who adores New Orleans...A few days after Katrina, Michael tracked me down in Charleston, SC (my home town and another Swamp Palazzo city), where my husband and I evacuated (we have a Swamp Palazzo flat I renovated and decorated there). Michael posed the idea of a book about New Orleans to benefit writers. If I would pull it together, he would sell it. I agreed to do the book and within days he had sold the book to Simon and Schuster/Touchstone.

A love song to our city, edited by Rosemary James.

Simon and Schuster agreed to give a portion of the proceeds to writers relief fund of PEN and the Faulkner Society benefited from my share of the proceeds. We all agreed that we did not want to do a "storm" book but, instead, a book about the things which make New Orleans special. The only hitch was that I had to get the book done in 30 days. The most difficult thing about it was tracking down people I wanted to include. As you know, people evacuated and finding out where was no easy matter. There were many people I wish I could have included in the book, such as Allan Toussaint, but I was unable to contact them within the time constraints. I think it turned out well, a sort of "thirty-day wonder."

How did you come up with the term "Swamp Palazzo?"

When the Faulkner House came on the market, we decided to buy it, as my husband, an attorney, wanted to operate a bookstore when he retired and we could think of no more appropriate place for a bookstore than in the building where Faulkner wrote his first novel, Soldiers' Pay.

Interior of Faulkner House Books

We won lots of awards for the renovation of the Faulkner House, begun in late 1988 and completed in 1990, and the house has been featured in numerous national magazines and design magazines. I started my design business in 1988 with Faulkner House as my first project. For some years I rented space at 632 Pirate's Alley (second and third floors) for the business, sharing space with other artisans. The second floor was decorated as an apartment, which we used to meet and entertain clients.

A view of the library in Rosemary James's house showing her love for french antiques. The chaise longue covered in an animal print, maybe influenced by her admiration for Madeleine Castaing

I first came up with the concept of "Swamp Palazzo" in the design of both Pirate's Alley establishments. I did furniture, lighting, accessories along that theme in concert with other artisans. The concept first appeared in print in a story for Southern Accents, in which I described the style as one in which layers of patina are all important.

From the Southern Accents article, the Swamp Palazzo style embraces patinaed walls, luxurious draperies simply designed, and extensive use of French antiquities.

In a New York Times Magazine story by Julie Iovine, I was asked how I would describe my style. That story appeared in 1996 and opens with the line: "Thirty years after moving from staid Charleston, Rosemary James still revels in the city's mildewed grandeur."

This is a house I was working on at the time I first read about "Swamp Palazzo" style and I purposely left the distressed stucco,even enhancing its aged look a bit, only adding to it with Pompeii inspired stencilling, reinforcing the "mildewed grandeur" of the architecture.

The story goes on to say that the formalities typical of the South (swags at the windows and parlors full of Chippendale furniture) are "distorted in a town where masquerade confronts the tropical swelter...Faux finishes, saturated color and elaborate ornamentation are the essence of New Orleans style, to which James, an interior designer, has brought her own sense of exaggerated elegance, for a look she calls Swamp Palazzo."

From Southern Accents, the caption reads," A mirror in the foyer allows actors in the living theater that is New Orleans to assess themselves before making entrances. Neutral colors and contemporary accessories are designer Gerrie Bremermann's trademarks."

The story ends with the line: "Fortunately, Swamp Palazzo is a very forgiving style, indifferent to the effects of sun and age on moire draperies and taffeta slipcovers. Time only renders it all the more splendid."

In Susan Sully's New Orleans Style, Rosemary's airy dining room, which overlooks the courtyard. The antique mirrored doors conceal storage for linens and tableware.

I would still describe my style as Swamp Palazzo: a combination of both vivid and understated colors for both walls and textiles, natural patina where possible or with the help of a good decorative painter, antique Continental lighting or original new lighting compatible with Continental antiques, good Continental antiques where possible mixed with some quirky contemporary touches, silk curtains sans swags and tails.

In Southern Accents, designers Alix Rico and Patricia Brinson hang voluptuous bronze silk drapes which puddle onto a handpainted floor. The silver leaf chair by Mario Villa is a lighthearted nod to the classical. A contemporary religious article atop antique books is so very New Orleans.

None of the floral chintzes beloved by the English, which go so well with English furniture. Patterns limited mostly to stripes and Fortuny style, along with some toiles in bedrooms or breakfast rooms. At least one dynamite accessory, such as an antique folding screen or a painting or a fabulous antique mirror in every room, along with hand-knotted antique rugs.

What is your most treasured possession?

Generally speaking I do not get too attached to things, as I like change. If a client admires a piece of mine, for instance, I usually have no hesitation in selling it to the client. However, there are certain accessories which I love, including most especially a late 18th century large trumeau mirror with a hand-carved figure depicting "The Rape of Europa", now in my Charleston flat; a 19th century iron fireback also depicting the "Rape of Europa", which I have mounted permanently in the brick wall of my tiny courtyard at 624 Pirate's Alley. If and when we give up this house, I plan to have a plaster artist make a casting from it and render it in plaster for me. Other prized possessions are an 18th century French boiserie overdoor ornament of classical figures executed in plaster; a period French Empire mirror; and my collection of furnishings with putto elements. These include a 19th century English screen (yes, English, a bit too large for my French furnishings and the tiny rooms of my house but I loved it for the putti motifs);

Rosemary's Salon, with the tooled leather screen with frolicking putti, one of the designer's treasured possessions. And for Cote de Texas, a skirted table and french daybed. Check out the leopard upholstered bench.

a 19th century handcarved wooden chandelier with a putto riding each arm of the chandelier (this piece inspired several lighting fixtures of my own design for a special project);

Rosemary's early 19th century Italian carved wood Renaissance-revival chandelier, another of her prized possessions, shown in The Chandelier through the Centuries.

a 19th century oil of frolicking putti; a 19th century silver repousse cannister with putti motifs; a similar 19th century silver water pitcher;

The bar, which sits just outside the dining room at Faulkner House.

a small, French bouillot lamp with a tole shade painted in putti motifs; a pair of 19th century French vases with putti motifs; an early 19th century trumeau mirror with a handcarved figure of a devilish putto holding a French noble's head. You get the drift! All of these pieces are great elements for the Swamp Palazzo style!

What originally brought you to New Orleans and how did you fall in love with this place?

I came to New Orleans and went to work for the New Orleans States-Item on New Year's Day, 1964. I had travelled to New Orleans in late November to visit friends in graduate school here. My flight to the city was two days after the Kennedy Assassination and as the plane circled for landing people were talking about the President's murder and the fact that Lee Harvey Oswald had lived in New Orleans. I had the passing thought that "This was a place where things happen, dramatic things."

I was preoccupied with the birds eye view of the landscape, however. It is only when you are high above the city that you realized that its location is precarious, a tiny toehold in a big swamp, surrounded by water.

Aerial view of New Orleans

I was attracted to the voluptuous quality of the city: it's weather extremes, for instance. When I landed in New Orleans, the temperature was 82 degrees; I checked in at the Hotel Monteleone and walked down the street to Brennan's to have lunch with my friends.

From their website, the dramatically glamorous facade of the Hotel Montleone where Rosemary stayed after arriving in New Orleans in 1964.

During the three-hour luncheon, a blue norther moved in, with the kind of sound and light show that only Zeus can create, accompanied by a rainfall that had to be at least five inches in the space of an hour. The temperature dropped 40 degrees while I was having lunch.

from the dpc prints website, Rainswept Royal Street - New Orleans by Sia Yambasu

Walking down Royal Street, I was enchanted by the incredible array of antique jewelry on display in the fine antiquarian establishments. I remember saying to a companion, "There must have been a lot of money among the Creoles of New Orleans." My friend replied, "Yes, and a lot of love for their women."

Opulent jewelry from Keil's Antiques on Royal Street. The Creole tradition of over-the-top elegance and decoration is reflected in these pieces.

I had been accustomed to the fine antique shops of Charleston and their windows and windows of good English and American Federal furniture. My association with Continental furnishings had been limited at that time to one short trip to France. My love affair with French furnishings began on that first stroll down Royal Street.

Louis XVI chairs, which New Orleanians are so fond of from French Antique Shop on Royal Street

It was on Royal Street that Rosemary first fell in love with the look of French Antiques, a look which became a signature component of her decorating style

Antiquing on Royal Street in the French Style.

The architecture had instant appeal to me as well. I spent most of my childhood in Panama and New Orleans in the early 60s had the look of old Panama City, another important Creole city of ethnic and architectural diversity. I felt at home immediately.

Who are your greatest design influences?

My biggest design influence? Marie Antoinette and her husband Louis XVI, whose design style was a return to the classic lines of the important classical cultures of Greece and Italy and because of their personal appeal, their redecorating resulted in a design revolution in Europe, including Russia; and Napoleon Buonaparte. No other person in history has had such an important impact on the design industry.

The library at Faulkner House with a Directoire desk with inlay and bronze ormulu decoration. The iron chair with neoclassic crossed arrow motif.

He realized its value to the French economy and was continually exploring new design ideas, as a result of his travels in the lands he conquered, and having these new influences executed in furnishings and textiles, as he realized that he and Josephine would inspire others to redecorate as well. Although I also like the frivolity of the Louis XV period, especially for bedrooms and family/breakfast rooms, clean classical lines appeal to me most.

I am particularly enamoured with the lines and colors of Pompeian furnishings and the similar lines of ancient Italian cultures. I don't hesitate to mix periods as long as the scale is compatible. The problem with mixing new major pieces with antiques is that often the scale is not compatible. Locally, the designers I most admire are Gerri Bremerman,

Gerrie Bremermann's signature style: French chairs upholstered in checks, trumeau mirror, dramatic carved gilt sconce, fabulous crystal chandelier, pillows made from antique textiles,putti lamp, antique books, ivory colored walls,and simply gorgeous silk drapes.

and Ann Dupuy

Another Southern Accents article by Rosemary James entitled "Deep South Sexy" showing the work of Ann Holden and Ann Dupuy. I have always been crazy about these curtains, and yet again, Peak of Chic notice the animal print on the french chairs!

nationally, Peter Marino.

The simple elegance of a bedroom by Peter Marino.

Designers from the past: Madeleine Castaing, France.

In this room by Madeleine Castaing, one can easily see her influence in Rosemary James's work. I especially love the aqua walls, the cameo medallion and the acanthus frieze.

Many thanks to Rosemary James for this inspiration and for taking the time to so eloquently address the questions I had for you.

Emay Hart, Queen of the Krewe of Comus in 1909 wearing her "royal jewels ablaze with rhinestones, brilliants, paste and pearls" as seen in Mardi Gras Treasures:Jewelry of the Golden Age.

This post was supposed to be about the beginning of Mardi Gras season in New Orleans. I was planning to show some old photos of Carnival royalty and some new photos from a book called Mardi Gras Treasures: Jewelry of the Golden Age by Henri Schindler. I was planning to show how the pageantry of Carnival as played out in some of the jewelry designed for its royalty had inspired me and influenced my work. And then I was reading Stylecourt's post on "Smokey Blue and Amethyst" and it struck me how much that post echoed some of the pictures I was collecting for my post. I was so inspired by John Singer Sargent's picture of Lady Agnew, painted in 1892 and how the turquoise and amethyst colors in that painting made such a nice combination. The pictures that followed showing several examples of this color combination caused me to take a whole different route in my post, so here, Stylecourt, is a tribute to your post from New Orleans!

It was Lady Agnew's quality of feminine serenity which reminded me of photo of the Queen of Comus. The decoration on the draped turquoise background as well as the angle of her lavender sash echoed the decoration and composition of the queen's photo. These are both confident women who proudly wear their fabulous jewelry.

This pendant from Stylecourt's post which is presently sold in the National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh immediately reminded me of this crown, below, worn by the 1905 King of Carnival.

The following photos of Carnival Jewelry are from Mardi Gras Treasures: Jewelry of the Golden Age.

The combination of the deep blue jewels, the turquoise, the rhinestones, the orb and the crown topper inspires me in every way.

All this finery, the imaginary royalty of Mardi Gras, the blue jewels which are currently "now" in this crown and scepter worn by the King of Carnival in 1928.

This is a detail of the very exotic tiara worn by the Queen of Carnival in 1912. THe turquoise on the cobra's eyes are just the perfect injection of warm color against the icy rhinestones and reinforces the decadent feeling.

Stylecourt shows some rooms with the jewel-toned combination of smoky gray-blue and amethyst. She remarks that this combination is so "now." Having been a bit of a neutral's lover for quite awhile, I'm lately realizing that the jewel tones ARE a "now" thing and I've been playing around with this in my own decorating scheme. Looking for local inspiration in response to this decorating trend, I was able to locate some pictures which display this combination in all it's gem-like glory.

Here, in this bedroom in Austerlitz Plantation the smokey blue becomes more of turquoise, made all the more gem-like by the gold and crystal girandoles on the mantle. The rolls of fabric on the table suggest that the turquoise will in fact be paired with the lavender fabric at the bottom of the heap. This photo is from Creole Houses by Steve Gross and Sue Daly.

This photo from New Orleans Stye, Past and Present, by Susan Sully shows a gorgeous use of a very subtle shade of pale gray-violet offset by the turquoise ceiling. So historic and yet so "now."

From Creole Thrift, Angele Parlange upholstered her recamier in magenta velvet. Notice how this plays off the turquiose castle in the print on the righthand wall, all set against the backdrop of cool lavender walls. This room is somewhere between jewelry and candy and when are jewelry and candy NOT in style? Who can resist either of these?

And showing that everything old is new again, this Garden District house, pictured in New Orleans Style built in 1853 is an eye-satisfying composition in lavender stucco played off a wonderful shade of gray-green-teal in the front door and shutters. I love the effect of framing it all with the black cast iron details and the gray-white marble steps.

So Courtney, thank you for getting me thinking about amethyst and turquoise, magenta and gray-blue. I am so inspired by your wonderful blog. I'll be posting more about this subject as it relates to my own home in the near future. Thank you Courtney, your wonderful Stylecourt is so brimming with ideas, motivations and beautiful things! Also, A Big Thank you to Felicity at All Things Bright and Beautiful for including Bayou Contessa in her post about her favorite new blogs. All Things is one of my favorite reads and I always pass out a little bit when I see her gorgeous white hydrangea laden header. It's because of a wonderful pointer from Felicity that I figured out how to make a post title in my chosen font! It's great to have friends in the blogosphere!

I became an admirer of New Orleans writer and interior designer Rosemary James about twenty years ago after reading an article in Southern Accents in which she described our city’s overriding decorating style as “Swamp Palazzo.” In my opinion, this summed up in two words all that New Orleans style entails. In fact,the title of my blog, Bayou Contessa is a nod to this term. Although the article was written twenty years ago, it is absolutely as right on today as it was then. Could it be that New Orleans’ Swamp Palazzo style is the ultimate in timelessness?

For Rosemary James, New Orleans style, or “Swamp Palazzo” is one of exaggerated elegance, in which southern formality is tempered by life in this tropical climate. It’s a style which is both theatrical and relaxed, which boasts of simple curtains with unusual details, antique textiles joined with new fabrics on a single piece of furniture, and aged unstained cypress floors conditioned with natural beeswax.

Nowhere is this style more apparent than in the home of Dr. Quinn Peeper, for whom Ms. James was the designer. This is the third project she has done for Dr. Peeper and it’s featured in this month’s issue of Louisiana Homes and Gardens.

In James's opinion, "New Orlenians are event-motivated. They arrange their lives around the plentiful, important social gatherings of calendars for both Carnival and cafe society. They live to be entertained and to entertain." The entry foyer of Dr. Peeper's home is filled with french antiques and a grand piano. One of New Orleans' celebrated citizens, Dr. Peeper is both a physician and a concert pianist who will be performing at Carnegie Hall in March.

Dr. Peeper's new house is a 1903 mansion believed to have been designed by the famous New Orleans architect Thomas Sully. The dining room evidences the Swamp Palazzo tendency toward luxurious texture and hints of bronze within a monochromatic color scheme. The gilded crown molding and antique coastal landscape paintings add to the timeless appeal of this room. "When the house is lit for a dinner party, the gold leaf gives everything a warm glow," says Peeper.

In Swamp Palazzo style, "custom furniture, art, or accessories that give a quaint bow to the past are always attractive to New Orlenians." Rosemary James had Peeper's bed made from an iron fence and added the corona for height. She also created the chandelier using 24-karat gold flecks in the blown glass crystals. The elegant use of gilded details in this room makes me weak in the knees.

The library is a celebration of the color red, and the Greek key pattern which was used to great effect in the Master Bedroom is repeated along the tops of the bookcases. Elaborate ornamentation and saturated color are two important facets of the Swamp Palazzo style and give this room its over-the-top elegance. Notice the wonderful Greek vase inspired pillows.

According to Rosemary James, "The final touch is the arrangement of this furniture, which provides grand entrance and exit possibilities as well as excellent seating and standing positions from which the actors in this living theater can deliver their bon mots with ease. In New Orleans, our rooms must be places where seasoned thespians can practice the art of reinvention for ever-facinated audiences."

It is so fascinating to me that the words Rosemary James used twenty years ago to describe our wonderful New Orleans style still hold up today. And the exquisite interior design that she and Quinn Peeper created for this house show that the Swamp Palazzo style continues to flourish.

Liz Bordes in her beautiful home, which she and her husband, Lance completely renovated and decorated themselves, on the cover of New Orleans Homes and Lifestyles Magazine

In the very surreal days of the city's repopulating following the evacuation after Hurricane Katrina, a truly amazing couple found their way into my shop. That couple was Lance and Liz Bordes. I was struck immediately by their hopeful outlook, by their high level of energy, by their outgoing, story telling, laughter loving, friendship forming ways. These two people were very obviously in love with each other and with life. They were a dose of delight during a very tenuous time.

They came into my shop looking for a special chandelier for the entrance in the house they were renovating. It was not a typical high ceilinged uptown house, in fact the ceilings were pretty low, and Lance and Liz were looking for something to be custom made that would be fabulous and welcoming and would set the tone for the house, but it had to be pretty short to accomodate the low ceiling in that space. I agreed to do some sketches for them and call them in a few days.

Well, the very next day, they came back in to see me. They said that although they had already purchased a chandelier for their dining room, that they wanted one of my pieces and had decided to use the other one somewhere else in the house.

After looking at some of the samples that were in the shop at the time, and considering their options for having another custom piece made, Lance pointed to a chandelier that we had just hung up after completing it as a custom piece for another client. "Baby," he said to Liz, "this one's speaking to me."

"Then, Baby, that's the one we'll get."

From then on, Lance and Liz have been one of my favorite couples to work with.

Here's what I came up with for the Entry Not too tall but still fabulous, and of course, it's named Elizabeth

Elizabeth Close up This is the "Hello Moment" Lance and Liz were looking for.

The talented couple in their sitting room with their beloved cat, Baby Oatmeal. The painting is by Aaron Collier from Cole Pratt Gallery.

A corner of the Entry with the inevitable french chair adds a welcoming presence to this inviting space

Baby, this Dining Room speaks to me. The fabulous chandelier was chosen by Liz and Lance to light up their hip, casual entertaining style. The crowns at the top and bottom of the fixture remind guests that they're being entertained royally by the king and queen of style and decor.

The Master Bedroom is a study in cool, sophisticated glamour. Crisp whites combined with robin's egg blue and chocolate brown provide a an atmosphere of calm. Jonathan Adler headboard and benches are from Hazelnut and the bed linens are from my friend, Jane Scott Hodges' Leontine Linens. The graphic brown and blue rug by Angela Adams gives the room its edge.

Lance designed and built the Hollywood vanity as a surprise for Liz.

Liz and Lance Bordes are truly a special couple. An excerpt from the article:

A tour through the Bordes' home reveals that this dream house is as much about their life together as it is about the perfect interplay of its carefully considered parts. Displayed thoughout the house are various items, including an antique radio and pieces of Fiestaware, found in the houses that the couple has renovated. There are also family items like the Japanese goddess handed down from an aunt, mementos like the plate invitation from the couples' 2004 wedding, and an antique Navajo prayer pot used during the ceremony.

The Bordes home is beautiful because it reflects the couple who designed it and reside in it. Congratulations, Lance and Liz!

The January issue of House Beautiful has a very nice feature on the home of Karyl Pierce Paxton. Paxton is a nationally-acclaimed designer of home products that are licensed and sold worldwide. Her home, an 1890's Queen Anne side hall cottage has many features which embody what I think of as "New Orleans Style." As I've stated before, New Orleans is a tropical, antique city of contrasts and paradoxes and this is part of what is embodied in our decorating style. It is a style which has what I like to call "dramatic tension." Karyl's front parlor shows dramatic tension to great effect. New Orleanians love and respect their old homes, especially their "parlors" because this allows them to retain the formal quality these houses were built with. And yet, within that formality we like a sense of relaxed elegance, and very often some element of fun. Almost every fabulous New Orleans home contains at least one french chair because this is an understated way to set a formal tone, and as you can see here, Karyl has many more than one. Placing them on seagrass rugs (another decorating element which New Orleanians seem to be very fond of) lends the note that the elegant atmosphere is also one of relaxation. We like our rooms to be decorative and beautiful but we want to live in them and feel comfortable in them. This is probably why New Orleans decorating usually includes pieces which show the history of the elegant wear and tear of a life well lived. All good New Orleans rooms contain pieces which both show and celebrate their age. Notice the floor lamp by the window. It was created by the talented local lighting designer, Paul Gruer, who also happens to be a friend of Karyl's. This piece is the definitive element of fun for this room. It is described by interviewer Mimi Read as looking "like a tree too drunk to stand." In fact, it's a sinuous, gracefully curved lamp which sprouts hand sculpted clay leaves which seem to wave and flutter around. It is a brilliant balance to the overall formality of the other furnishings. Since New Orleans is a city of artists and artisans, it is pretty likely that you will have at least one beautiful piece which has been created by an artistic friend, and this room is no exception. The contemporary sculpture behind the french settee by Craig Henry further reinforces the push and pull of the old against the new, the classical against the contemporary, the french gracefulness of the sofa against the monumentality of scale of the handcrafted contemporary piece. In the adjoining parlor,notice the ivory and gilt french tabernacle and the carved wooden cherubs. Religious artifacts reflect our love for and fascination with our european forbears and with pieces of a spiritual nature. It is the dramatic combination of the spiritual and the earthy that we are so in tune with. This photo is an example to the New Orlenian love for handpainted furniture. This is an Italian piece, but in this town, there are so very many talented painters and finishers that handpainted pieces are not hard to come by. Notice the "tablescape" on top of the desk. A scuplture of the Virgin Mary happily shares space with a primitive African sculpture, a fairy doll, an architectural fragment and another Paul Gruer lamp. The next three photos show another very important aspect of New Orleans Style, that of living spaces that celebrate the interaction of the indoors with the lush tropical outdoors. The double french doors in the master bath open to the courtyard. The palm plant reinforces the tropical feel. How wonderful to soak in the antique tub and experience the warm summer breezes coming from the courtyard, and feel the cool marble underfoot. The sink base is an eighteenth century buffet fitted with a marble top and a new sink. In the kitchen, and thoroughout the house, the beautiful drapes, made of silk or linen add another layer of easy elegance. New Orleanians are very enamored of beautifully made draperies which clothe our windows and decorate our rooms while softening the intensity of the tropical climate outdoors. These drapes are dressy and add a sense of "fanciness" but they are easy going and not overdone. New Orleanians love "outdoor rooms" which are an extension of the indoors, and they love to dress and decorate these spaces. On the porch outside the master bath, Karyl has hung canvas curtains and set a table with coffee and pastries, because in New Orleans, the favored place to drink coffee is out on the porch. This picture of the front of Karyl Paxton's house brings us to the final element of New Orleans style which will conclude this post. And that is the love of and exaltation of handcrafted architectural details. Built in the 1890's this home possesses many of these treasures. Notice the fishscale shingles in the pediment above the porch and on the second floor, the turned columns and the decorative horizontal balustrade. These are all characteristic of the sometimes quirky architectural combinations of the Queen Anne style. It is the historic and decorative details that delight so many of us and motivate us to lovingly preserve the many architectural treasures this city still possesses.

"A house that looks dusted with gold has all the elements that make New Orleans style so poetic: French formality, fearless drama, and the ethereal beauty of faded elegance."

For most New Orlenians, our unique homes, decorated to please us and to entertain our friends are our greatest treasures.

Gate

Imagine my happiness and excitement when I received this gorgeous photograph for Christmas last year from my friends, Adam and Amy Farrington. The artist, photographer Jennifer Shaw quickly become one of my favorites.

Jennifer has a way of capturing her subject matter that gives each photograph a monumental feel. They are both ethereal and operatic. Each one seems to portray a kind of drama which elevates the subject or situation that is presented.

Jennifer's personal impressions of New Orleans, which she presents so gracefully, reflect both the tender and the passionate feelings New Orlenians have for their home.

Railroad Bridge

Young Indians

Winged Statue

Adam and Amy are partners in a wonderful gallery with their friend Scott Smith and this month they are showing new and amazing works by this talented artist.

In my town, we are all still processing and dealing with the emotional effects that Hurricane Katrina had on each one of us. For everyone living in New Orleans at that time, the experience of evacuating their homes, seeing their town devastated by the worst natural and manmade disaster in our nation's history, and then returning to pick up the pieces of their homes and their lives has left a mark on each of us that will never go away.

Jennifer Shaw chose to chronicle her experience through her art. It is an amazing piece of work.

In Shaw’s own words:

“I was nine months pregnant and due in less than a week when Hurricane Katrina blew into the Gulf. In the early hours of August 28, 2005 my husband and I loaded up our small truck with two cats, two dogs, several crates containing my favorite negatives, all our important papers and a few changes of clothes. We evacuated to a motel in southern Alabama and tried not to watch the news. Monday, August 29 brought the convergence of two major life changing events; the destruction of New Orleans and the birth of our son. It was two long months and 6000 miles before we were able to return home.”

We Left in the Dark of Night

It Was Nice to Have a Distraction

Jobs Were Offered and Declined

In Spite of it all There's No Place Like Home

“Hurricane Story is a depiction of that evacuation experience - the birth, the travels and the return. These photographs represent various elements of our ordeal. The project began as a cathartic way to process some of the lingering anger and anxiety over that bittersweet journey, and grew into a narrative series of self portraits in toys that illustrate both my experiences and emotional state during our time in exile.”

Shaw has self-published a book of her photos, and they are for sale at the gallery at 504-942-8600 or farringtonsmithgallery@gmail.com for more information.

Shadow

I love the dreamy, sultry old New Orleans feel of this one. It could be a still from "A Streetcar Named Desire."

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Palm Pilot

I'll close with this one; it embodies so much of what we're all about: This gorgeous, timeless, tropical photograph with a title and subject that shows the subtle humor that underlies life in New Orleans.