Visual Art – New Orleans

Jamie Risbourg is a New Orleans artist, born and raised just across Lake Ponchartrain in Slidell, LA. Her preferred medium for canvas painting is oil, however, she also works in watercolor and acrylic. In 2016, she exhibited her series of beaded acrylic paintings, in which one element of the painted canvas was finished with hand-sewn beadwork. The beading was sewn in the style of the Mardi Gras Indians, a technique she learned through the Dames de Perlage, a local Mardi Gras Krewe in which she is a member. In 2016 she painted their official Carnival poster. Following Hurricane Katrina, Jamie relocated temporarily to the Caribbean island of St. Croix. There she painted several murals, sold locally inspired paintings, and was honored to complete a live painting in 2007 for The Taste of St. Croix, the outcome of which still is one of her proudest artistic accomplishments. The money raised by this painting was put toward historic preservation to help resurrect an old theater in downtown Christiansted. In 2010 she worked as a scenic artist and painted backdrops for Mardi Gras balls. The technique used for this involves walking on the canvas while painting with long brushes on extended handles. Her other artistic ventures have included teaching painting classes for children in Slidell and for adults at Mid City Yacht Club in New Orleans, and apprenticing in picture framing in 2016. She attended The Savannah College of Art and Design on Artistic Honors and Portfolio scholarships. This current series of oil paintings pays homage to the cultural similarities between the Caribbean islands and New Orleans, which is sometimes referred to as the most northern tip of the Caribbean. Mocko Jumbies, featured throughout this series, are costumed performers on stilts who are experienced during times of celebration. They entertain the crowds with dramatic bends, standing splits, and dancing. Mocko Jumbies are defenders of their culture and are good omens in that their presence is said to ward off evil spirits.