Mud Painting? You Must Be Kidding.
I had just described some of the fascinating mud paintings my husband and I had seen on our trip to New Orleans, and, once again, kicked myself for not having purchased at least one of the paintings to bring back home. Unfortunately, we had been short on cash, and space, so, to my regret, I passed up the chance to buy one of the most unique pieces of art I have ever encountered.
During our short stay in New Orleans, we squeezed in a visit to our Granddaughter and her family, who live in Gretna, not far from downtown New Orleans, and a visit to a huge mall on the ocean side of the city. The mall had a deck where you could stand to watch ships coming into the harbor. Fascinated, we watched until the smell of Praline cookies baking lured us to a shop behind us in the mall where we picked up a few of those delicious treats.
After a quick lunch, we drove into the French Quarter of New Orleans where it cost us $10 to park for two hours. Pretty steep, but we thought it might be our only chance to visit the area so we coughed up the money. Besides, being almost right down town, we thought it would save us some walking. That was a joke. We walked, and walked, and walked, and I'm pretty sure we didn't miss a shop in the whole city. There were even little shops in the alleys.
We did buy a few souvenirs for the family back home, but what really caught my attention, were mud paintings.
Mud painting didn't originate in New Orleans. It probably started way back in caveman days when a group of
small bored children mixed up a batch of dry dirt with water and started making mud pies and painting on rocks. Some of the ancient cave paintings that have been discovered in modern times were done with mud and sometimes a mixture of different natural ingredients.
Even today, there are natives in various places like the Senufo, a tribe who lives on the Ivory Coast of Africa, who use black mud to paint pictures. Their pictures often depict animals, as they believe the paintings will protect their hunters and make the hunt successful. (1)
Not long ago, in Brisbane, citizens were invited to help create the world's longest mud painting. They used newspapers glued together with flour paste (totally biodegradable) for the project and several colors of local mud for the painting. As you might expect, a number of those who attended were children, but many adults also participated, and the project was termed a huge success. The painting was rolled up for traveling and display in a number of places. (2)
Being the mother of 3 children, I was familiar with the more primitive forms of mud painting described above, but this did not prepare me for the mud paintings I saw in New Orleans. They were absolutely beautiful, and would be a great addition to any living room wall.
Henry Neubig, the best known mud painter in Louisiana, and perhaps in the whole United States, operates out of a Baton Rouge art studio. Neubig's mud paintings are mostly of scenes from around the state of Louisiana, and very beautifully done. Many of the mud paintings we saw in New Orleans were products of this artist.
Neubig says he digs eight different colors of dirt and clay from all over the state, and then uses egg yolks mixed with water as a binder before he starts. This painter, in my opinion, is the master in the mud painting field. If you are an artist looking for a new, less expensive medium, why not check out mud?
You can do a Google search on Henry Neubig to find sources that offer more information on the techniques he uses if you are interested in getting some expert help on learning how to paint with mud. (3)
Another artist who has gained some notoriety for his mud painting is Steven Chandler. While the mud paintings coming out of the Neubig studio are more traditional, Chandler's personality shines through in his. A favorite material for his projects is Georgia red mud. Some of Chandler's paintings are satirical and can be better understood if you read a bit about his life. (4) Many will remind you of the paintings found on jugs, shawls, and in beadwork done by the Native Americans in the southern parts of the United States. His work is often highly textured and incorporates other materials into the mud to achieve the effect he is looking for.
Even if you've never heard of mud painting, and the idea sounds ridiculous to you, take a look at some of the links below. You may be surprised that such a lowly medium, in the hands of a dedicated artist, can be transformed into such beauty.
(1) http://www.crayola.com/lesson-plans/detail/ivory-coast-'mud'-painting-lesson-plan/
(2) http://brisdailyphoto.blogspot.com/2009/03/longest-mud-painting-in-world.html
(3) http://www.mudpainting.com/gallery/index.php/
(4) http://www.fineartregistry.com/featured_artist/chandler-steven.php
Published by Jeanne Gibson
Jeanne Gibson, former English and Math teacher, lives in Springfield, OR with her husband Malcolm, and their cat, Snoopy. Her articles have appeared in a variety of magazines and online. She enjoys research... View profile
The Fairmont New Orleans: The Place to Stay!If you are heading to New Orleans and have a large budget, definitely stay at the Fairmont New Orleans. It is pricey, but most definitely worth it.
New Orleans Saints Sign Another Solid Defensive Player: Kevin KaesviharnNew Orleans Saints secondary and special-teams coverage get solid-tackling, ball-hawking Kevin Kaesviharn.- NFL Team History - The New Orleans SaintsPete Rozelle arrived in New Orleans on November 1, 1966, which was ironically All Saints Day, and proclaimed that the NFL had officially granted the city of New Orleans an NFL franchise.
Street Lights in City of New Orleans Get New High Tech UpdateIt would save time and hassle if devices told you when they needed repairs. That is exactly what the new lighting program promises to do in New Orleans.
Killer Bees Living in New OrleansIt was always a rumor that the killer bees would invade America. Now it may be true. Their first stop: New Orleans.
- Thanksgiving Weekend in New Orleans
- Get Your Touristy T-shirts, Luggage, Jewelry and Souvenirs at the French Market in...
- New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Line-up Set for 2007
- New Orleans, it is Time to Look Forward
- Hotel Guide: New Orleans, Louisiana
- Life and Culture of New Orleans as Portrayed Through A Love Song for Bobby Long
- New Orleans: One Year After Hurricane Katrina
- Painting with mud is not just child's play.
- These days, mud painting has become a serious art form.
- Some artists actually make a living from painting with mud.
2 Comments
Post a CommentBe VERY careful when buying mud paintings. Most artist just use ut as a gimic to sell and use uncleaned wet dirt that could have desiese in it. One artist used dirt from around his septic system. The dirt should be strained and washed and an acrylic or oil medium added to it so it will last. Most artist just use wet dirt and spray a sealer over it. All this does is keep the dry dirt from falling off the board etc. Make sure you get a guarentee with the mud painting. I only know of 2 artist that make real good mud paint the right way. One is in Lousiana and one in Vermont. They are old timers doing it for years. John
Thanks for your e-mail Greenhill. I didn't realize that we weren't looking at the ocean, but it sure was big and had huge ships coming in. Too late to change the article now, but thanks for the information. I'll know better next time.