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P E R S P E C T I V E S : I M A G E S O F O U R S TAT E
Terrance Osborne NEW ORLEANS CULTURE, CONCENTRATED By Alexandra Kennon
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Terrance Osborne,“Throw Me Somethin’ Mistah!,” 2020. Courtesy of the artist.
tepping into the Terrance Osborne Gallery on Magazine Street feels like the visual equivalent of participating in a second line. Much like New Orleans brass band music, Osborne’s work is bold and vibrant, grabbing viewers and pulling them in, demanding their participation as loudly and warmly as a trumpet line or a bass drumbeat. His colorful acrylic paintings made on sheets of plywood are the focal point (he began painting on wood in college because it was cheaper than canvas, and still prefers it). Sight is not the only sense the gallery engages, however: lavender essential oils permeate the air, a lush red shag rug blankets the floor, and if second line music isn’t playing from the speakers, then it’s an energetic hit from the likes of Anderson .Paak or Beyoncé. A graduate of Xavier University, Osborne—a New Orleans native—began his career as an art teacher with aspirations towards becoming a full-time artist, but a family to support. “After Katrina hit, that was my opportunity, which I was not willing to take at first,” Osborne said. But while evacuated to rural Georgia after the storm, his wife Stephanie, a meditation guide who leads sessions from the gallery today (hence the lavender scent and cozy rug for floor-sitting), encouraged him to focus on his artwork rather than seeking out another teaching job. “I wasn’t really for that, because I was afraid, really,” Osborne admitted. But a commission came, and when he completed that another came, then another. Eventually, a full year passed of Osborne solely creating artwork. “So fast forward, and I’ve never stopped,” Osborne said in his 54
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matter-of-fact, humble manner. Having accomplished the ultimate success of building a career founded on his passion, Osborne encourages everyone to pursue what they love. “Because if you’re doing what you love, then you’re happy. And then you push that out to the world, then other people get to enjoy what you’re doing.” These days, his commissions have grown to include five Jazz and Heritage Festival posters (one of the highest honors for a New Orleans artist), as well as partnerships with major national companies like Coca Cola and Heineken. Companies seek Osborne out because his artwork shouts “New Orleans”; the city he was born and raised in permeates nearly all of his work. He has a knack for taking the most iconic aspects of his city—its shapes, its flavors, its personalities—condensing them down to their truest, brightest form, and putting them on display. Second lines, shotgun houses, crawfish “berls,” and Mardi Gras revelers abound, because, Osborne explained, all of these icons are deeply woven into his memories. Finding most of his footing in the Tremé neighborhood, experiences playing underneath his family’s raised house sparked a fascination with New Orleans architecture so evident in many of his paintings. “And it’s also sort of rustic, no lines are straight. And you know, it’s a little bit rigid, and just powerfully colorful…. just like New Orleans.” Like anyone raised in the Crescent City, Osborne has fond memories of attending Mardi Gras parades as a kid, and the energy of those experiences on the parade route has stayed with him. “I was like every child, frantically trying to get the beads,” he chuckled. “So I guess that is the energy I like to capture. Most of my
appreciation came later though, because as a kid you’re not really processing it. That’s just part of your world and your culture. As an adult, I have a double appreciation for it. The art of it is fascinating—the work that they do to the floats.” A more recent work from 2020, titled “Throw Me Somethin’ Mistah!” depicts a woman bedecked in purple, green, and gold with a blue wig, gold-toothedmouth agape in an exuberant smile, arms stretched wide to catch beads, just behind an N.O.P.D. parade barricade. “Everybody’s seen that lady,” Osborne said matter-of-factly. “So, she encompasses an energy of Mardi Gras…I’m more interested in sort of a general character that people can tie into to understand the culture.” As for approaching an unusually quiet Mardi Gras this year, Osborne seems at peace with the idea. “Just stay inside. That’s all,” he stressed. “If you have a balcony, stand on it and throw beads to your kids. Do something else until we get past this…we want a Mardi Gras in 2022, so let’s stay inside and take care of ourselves.” He also reminds us, in his humble way, that artists like himself create Mardi Gras imagery that can be enjoyed from the safety of home: “You don’t need to go out to appreciate it.” h
Don’t miss Osborne’s profile on LPB’s Art Rocks on Friday, February 5 at 8:30 pm, repeating Sunday, February 6 at 5:30 pm. lpb.org/artrocks. The Terrance Osborne Gallery 3029 Magazine Street New Orleans LA 70115 terranceosborne.com
