Painting It Forward

from Edge of the Lake Magazine August | September 2023

FRANKLINTON DEMONS

Artist Christina Pappion Spreads Kindness & Culture

STORY BY LIZ GENEST SMITH PHOTOS BY JERRY COTTRELL

When you meet someone for whom all the stars and planets seem to have magically aligned to light up their path to a career that brings them both success and immense personal fulﬁllment, be honest. Do you feel just a smidge envious? Like, why do they get all the breaks?!

Well, when that person is someone like Mandeville artist Christina Pappion, it’s impossible to do anything but cheer her on. Yes, even though she once danced on stage with Diana Ross and was babysat by Linda Ronstadt. And she was personally commissioned to paint a portrait of Drew Brees’ family. And she regularly works with the Saints and Pelicans. And gets paid to travel all over the country doing what she loves.

So, who is this fortunate woman, and how did she manifest such a cool life for herself?

Christina is originally from Gentilly, and though her parents divorced when she was young, each passed along some valuable gifts. She credits her dad, a skilled craftsman, builder and welder, for her creative talent, and she says her business savvy comes from her mom, EJ Encalarde, president and COO of Festival Productions Inc. EJ has been helping to put on huge festivals like Jazz Fest and Essence Fest for decades, and Christina appreciates all the beneﬁts it aﬀorded her.

“I was going to Jazz Fest at six years old,” she told me, sounding as though she still marveled at and delighted in the concept. “I really enjoyed it! I absorbed the art and culture, and the imagery and scenery had a huge impact on me. Plus, I looked up to my mom. She had the coolest job!”

Along with extraordinary encounters with internationally acclaimed celebrities, she also grew up with local royalty, like Allen Toussaint, among her circle of family friends. Christina describes these relationships as having provided her with kindness, spiritual inﬂuence and an overall positive impact, all of which remain with her to this day.

As a child, when her mom traveled for business and Christina stayed with her grandparents, she typically entertained herself by drawing with plain old pencil and paper.

But she says a summer camp at St. Frances Cabrini School in New Orleans, and more speciﬁcally a teacher named Miss Betsy, lit a ﬁre in her.

“I was 10 or 11, and I was so excited for arts and crafts class. I knew then that that was what I wanted to do with my life.”

Christina’s talent for both drawing and painting further developed while she attended Mount Carmel Academy. She started entering and winning local competitions, then attended Xavier University on an art scholarship, and ultimately earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of New Orleans. But the jump to full-time artist didn’t happen right away.

After graduation, she began teaching art to local children through non-proﬁt organizations. While she enjoyed her work, she always yearned for more. Even her pro bono work and selling her art in the French Market didn’t quite do the trick for her, but she can pinpoint the precise moment when she refocused her energy and her art career took oﬀ.

“I was working with Junior Achievement, I had just had my second baby and I told my husband I was supposed to be doing something else. Don’t get me wrong, I loved working with nonproﬁts, but it wasn’t my true calling. A friend, who was also my boss, suggested doing live events. I had never heard of this, but when I looked it up, it was so me!”

By live events, she is referring to what is essentially a live visual performance where an artist creates a painting or other work of art in real time as guests at private or public events look on.

With support and encouragement from her husband Isaac, she immediately, that very night, started working on a website. And by later that week, she managed to secure a gig with an event agency to whom she’d offered her services for free. It paid off big-time, as it turned out to be a private art gallery event to benefit the philanthropic foundation of former Saints’ player, Pierre Thomas. Not only did she make important connections, but the piece she created fetched over $3,000!

Many doors opened up at that point, leading to a huge array of opportunities. In addition to festival posters and other commissioned work, Christina has created artwork, murals, and entire media and merchandising campaigns for New Orleans’ beloved professional sports teams. Highlights include the “My Cause My Cleats” initiative, where Christina works with individual Saints to design custom cleats that spotlight nonprofits and are worn on the field. She was also chosen to design the art that was featured on the season tickets and merchandise for the season that Zion Williamson joined the Pelicans. Other high profile clients have included the All-State Sugar Bowl, Dixie Beer and Verizon.

Asked to describe her personal aesthetic, she replied, “Impressionistic and colorful. Some say abstract, but I just say joyful. I’m known for my use of resin and gold ﬂakes, but mainly, I like to touch people’s hearts. I like my art to have meaning and make them feel good.”

While Degas and Monet are her favorites of the old masters, she doesn’t hesitate to give a special shout-out to her favorite local artist.

“Oh, I’ve deﬁnitely been inspired by Terrance Osborne,” she gushed reverently, referring to the internationally acclaimed New Orleans artist, whose vivid and whimsical work is perhaps most recognized from his many oﬃcial Jazz Fest posters. “He’s not afraid of color!”

Neither is Christina, as you’ll find when you peruse her work on her website, Etsy shop or in places like Redoux Home Market, Nola Living, Forever New Orleans,The Ground Floor NOLA and Haydel’s Bakery. You’ll instantly recognize the cultural and aesthetic influence of South Louisiana culture through her depictions of fleur de lis, streetcars, second lines and all sorts of iconic New Orleans street scenes and symbols. What makes it uniquely hers is that it’s all Illuminated in a signature palette of rosy, vibrant hues, as though directly inspired by daybreak or sunset.

Those cheerful, uplifting vibes translate perfectly into her paintings depicting jubilant brides and grooms as they dance and celebrate their big day with loved ones.

Christina has been a full-time artist for 10 years now, and she lives in Mandeville with her husband and daughters, Sophia, 13, and Gabriella, 10. She estimates that 70% of her business comes from live wedding painting, but she has also found time to create a line of colorful hair bows with her daughters, which they sell online.

As for her husband, Isaac, Christina made sure to emphasize that he’s been absolutely crucial to her success. “I don’t want anyone saying, ‘This girl is doing it all by herself.’ He left his corporate job to handle the marketing and business side of things when my work took oﬀ, and it’s now a true family business.”

Christina also takes time to speak at schools to pass on this positive energy and to encourage kids to reach for the stars. Everyone told her she was crazy to pursue a career as an artist, and look how it’s worked out for her!

And lest you think the live painting gigs are all about travel and monetary reward for Christina, there’s much more to it. She feels lucky to be one of only a few African American women to engage in this line of work, and she also considers herself to be an ambassador, of sorts.

“I’m proud to represent New Orleans and South Louisiana when I do events in all these other cities. It’s all about the fun, the party. It’s the joy of color. And I’m leaving them something that I hope will make them happy for years to come.”

So, why is it so easy to feel nothing but happy for Christina and this charmed life she appears to be leading?

It’s simple. She takes none of her good fortune for granted and hasn’t allowed herself to become jaded. If you ask her about her life and her art, everything is wrapped in optimism, gratitude, humility and a delightfully giddy appreciation for her gifts and blessings.