Monday, June 23, 2014

La Maison du Free Man of Color

"La Maison du Free Man of Color" by Andrew LaMar Hopkins

One of my favorite paintings titled "La Maison du Free Man of Color" sold about a week ago at Nadine Blake's along with 6 others over a 48 hour period. "La Maison du Free Man of Color" is the first of my paintings I documented from beginning to end. Lot's of people want to know how I paint a painting from start to finish. I decided to start a facebook page to document my art and the steps in making it. Being self taught and not academically trained I have my own way of painting that is very different from formally trained artist. Instead of painting on a easel I paint with the canvas on my lap. Because of this I don't paint on stretched canvas, I love canvas board.  


"La Maison du Free Man of Color"  shows a well appointed late 18th century  
Creole salon of a Creole gentleman of color. He is fashionably dressed in 
the  latest fashion from France including a powdered wig. His parents 
portraits are  over the Louisiana made French styled chest. A mother of African descent and a French 
aristocrat father. 

A  portrait of the Creole gentleman of color as a child in a gilt 
wood Louis XV  frame hangs over the mantel. The Creole mantle and over mantel 
are copied from  Columbia Plantation 1782. 18th century Louisiana inventories 
of interiors list  locally made pieces of furniture Like the Creole 
armoire, a Louisiana walnut  pied-de-biche center table and the chest with 
Cabriole Legs were mixed with fine  imported furniture from France like the Louis 
XVI gilded sofa and arm chair.  


Other imported items in the room are 
decorative arts like the  blue and white delft vases on the mantel. The French cast 
iron fireback in the  fireplace. The Louis XV mantel clock, The Louis XVI 
gilt wood mirror over the  mantel. The French faïence pottery on the chest 
and silver candlesticks would  have been fancy items available in a port city 
like New Orleans. 

The term free  people of color (French: gens de couleur 
libres),  at first specifically  referred to persons of partial African and 
European descent who were not  enslaved. The term was especially used in the 
French colonies, including La  Louisiane and settlements on Caribbean 
islands, such as Saint-Domingue,  Guadeloupe, and Martinique. 

Free people of 
color developed as a separate class  between the colonial French and Spanish and 
the enslaved black African workers.  They often achieved education and some 
measure of wealth; they spoke French and  practiced Catholicism,

The first step. The drawing of La Maison du Free Man of Color before paint is applied. 

Most of the decorative arts and furniture are picked out of my vast collection of photo's of antiques. While other items are latter added while the painting is still  being painted. 

Step 2, I try to cover the drawing all in paint. Note the Louisiana ladder back chairs are painted out from the drawing. 

3, Some finer details are painted right away like the fabrics in the clothing while others just have base paint like the fabric on the chair  to be latter touched up. 

Now the portraits come alive in the painting. One of the number 1 things people love about my paintings are the portraits and paintings in my paintings. 


4, Now stuff pops into the paintings that was not in the original drawing. Like the blue and white delft vases on the mantel. The Louis XV mantel clock, The French faïence pottery on the chest.


5, The French Louis XVI arm chair now has it's gilding 

6, Finishing touches are added to the painting and then it is varnished! 

"La Maison du Free Man of Color" by Andrew LaMar Hopkins complete. 


My painting centers around the Creole 18th century mantle and over mantel 
 copied from Columbia Plantation circa 1782. A early Louisiana Colonial house now being restored. The photo by Jacques Levet Jr.  

Detail of the wonderful gouge work on Columbia Plantation mantel. photo by Jacques Levet Jr.

Detail of the wonderful gouge work on Columbia Plantation mantel. photo by Jacques Levet Jr.

 Columbia Plantation circa 1782. photo by Jacques Levet Jr.

18th century French portrait of a boy that I turned into a Free boy of color in my painting 

18th century French Louis XVI mirror used in my painting 


A French Louis XVI gilded arm chair.

A 18th century  Louisiana walnut  pied-de-biche center table with 
Cabriole Legs 

cast iron & brass fireback and grate 


Louisiana Armoire with Inlay. Mahogany, Tulip Poplar, Yellow Pine, Satinwood, Holly & Maple. Pied de Biche Feet on Cabriole Legs. 

French Louis XVI Giltwood Canape



Jean-Etienne Liotard (1702-1789) - Portrait of a Young Woman. Oil on Canvas. France. Circa Mid-18th Century.


French 18th century portrait of a French 
aristocrat. 

A Louisiana walnut  pied-de-biche chest with
Cabriole Legs 



"La Maison du Free Man of Color" by Andrew LaMar Hopkins

You can follow my art on facebook at 

https://www.facebook.com/andrewhopkinsfolkart

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