(Louisiana, b.1969)

Lives and works in Chicago. His paintings reflect vague memories (ghosts) of New Orleans and Southeastern Louisiana through its architecture, nature, objects,icons, etc. The work combines feelings of loss, deterioration, frustration, and fascination through reexamination of origin, home, locale, and culture. Katrinaand the BP spill also permeates this new work—readdressing the concept of the city (and surrounding area) that care forgot. Visually, the work strives to appear languorous, elated, messy, historical, trivial, drunk, sticky, wet, oily, layered, scrappy, dirty, lush, quick, emotional, melting, and unconcerned with approval (in both technique and subject matter). Relishing a kitsch that’s inherent in blatantly obvious tourist, or “local paraphernalia”, art, Grant genuinely celebrates the simplistic, maudlin, sincere nature of such artwork while trying to make it his own.

Several words, concepts, and sources inform the work including:
the city (New Orleans)the personification of the city as an eccentric grande dame
rue royal
st. Charles
esplanade
canal
tourist
local
intrusive/reclusivemaudlin
dignified
the fairgrounds
john james
Audubon
tennessee Williams
violet venableblanche dubois
I am madame x
stereotype/countertypenostalgic/jaded
the Roosevelt
d.h.holmes maison blanche nadine blake
yvonne lafleurHotel (the movie—1967)the duchess of croydon/lanbourne
88.9 WWNO
street art
french quarter artkitschy/tastefulfoul/eleganttraditional/unconventionalinappropriate/unavoidablehot and humidfeelings patio lounge the courtyard at pat o’s
the sazerac bar
the southern gentleman absinthe cocktails
rum/bourbon/bitters
magnolias just past full bloom (brown at the edges)
freesia with notes of jasmine, rose and lily overgrown gardens
galatoire’s poisson meunière amandine
veal liver
a few too many cocktails
way too many pets