Jackson Square Artists
Jackson Square without artists would be like red beans without rice. Every day, local artists show up and line the sidewalks and fences with their original artwork. The colorful canvasses are just as much a part of Jackson Square as the buildings surrounding it. From oil paintings of famous New Orleans landmarks to unique imaginative drawings, the art varies widely. One thing is for sure though – the artwork creates a charming atmosphere that visitors don’t forget.
Some of the artists have been creating and selling their artwork in Jackson Square for decades. Meet a few of the familiar faces that you’ll see around the area, and be sure to stop and say hello when admiring their work. You can find artists around Jackson Square any day of the week, but many more on weekends and in the evenings.
FAQ: How can I become an artist on Jackson Square? Do I need a permit?
ANSWER: Yes, you must have a permit to be an artist on Jackson Square. Only 200 permits are issued annually, and there is currently a waiting list. The permits are renewable in January; those not renewed become available to new artists. Interested persons must contact the Bureau of Revenue, Permits Department, about getting on the waiting list for a permit. The required mayoralty permit and occupational license cost $175 per year. The application fee is $20. These permits allow original hand-painted or “drawn on a plain surface” works only. Reproductions of any sort are not permitted.
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Lee Tucker
Visual artist/photographer Lee Tucker has exhibited in galleries in the U.S. and England. He has had numerous one-man shows, including at Chicago’s prestigious Steppenwolf Theater in tandem with a production of “A Streetcar Named Desire”. Tucker’s art graces international collections such as those of Freeport-Indonesia, and the Omni, Wyndham, Holiday Inn, Westin and the Ritz-Carlton hotel groups. Learn more at leetuckerart.com
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Brenton Clarke
Brandon works in charcoal, watercolor, acrylic, and oil along with wood sculptures. He works with basic unity and contrast.
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Elaine Cummins
With parents who were also Jackson Square artists, painting came naturally to Elaine Adel Cummins. Although she’s conquered many forms of arts, including painting t-shirts and dresses, she says her heart belongs to the canvas
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Debora D’Angelo
Debora says life, passion, peace, love, healing, beauty, nature and all things New Orleans French Quarter and The Gulf Coast are her creative juices.
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Joshua Duncan
Josh seeks to examine the human experience through a wide range of styles and mediums. He received a Bachelor of Illustration from Memphis College of Art.
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Alexander Greatness
Presently an attending Jackson Square artist, paints his World Renown theme art named HUMAN EMBRACEMENT ART. 534 original finished and signed art pieces have been distributed throughout worldwide.
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Karla Hunt
Karla Gilson Hunt creates oil paintings of New Orleans and surrounding areas. A Detroit native, she moved to New Orleans in 1962 and was inspired by the Deep South’s beauty and the romantic charm of the French Quarter.
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Sam Infiniti Hurwitch
A native of New England, Sam Infiniti Hurwitch came to New Orleans in 1970, where he fell in love with Jackson Square. Sam began painting in 1977, and in 1983, began a three-year study of art at U.N.O.
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Andrew James
Andrew James (AJ) is a native of south Lousinana and has been painting and drawing for over 35 years. As a New Orleans artist, actor and outdoorsman, you can find AJ anywhere, from selling his art at Jackson Square in the French Quarter to playing featured roles in True Blood.
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Brandon Jenkins
As a self-taught artist, Brandon Jenkins is inspired by artists from the 30s and 40s focusing mainly on nightlife scenes, cityscapes, and figures. He can be found in the Square on the weekends.
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Jason Jones
Jason Jones is a licensed architect and artist focusing on oxidation of steel. His goal is to connect his audience with is work varies from literal representation to abstract.
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Cary Chun Lee
Cary Chun Lee is a New Orleans based artist. He paints animals/nature in a very unique and contemporary way.
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Amanda Leigh
Amanda Leigh is a New Orleans native. Although she has a degree in international business, she feels most at home using her creative side with a paintbrush in hand.
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C.C. Miranda
A Jackson Square artist since 2001, C.C. Miranda specializes in oils, acrylic and watercolor in a variety of styles ranging from realism to abstract surrealism. She is a graduate of duCret School of Art in New Jersey.
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Crystal Obeidzinski
Crystal Obeidzinski, a New Orleans artist, collages items found from around the city with a very free and abstract application of paint to capture the depth and history that this city holds. These are all done on pieces of old doors from around the city. She exhibits in galleries around New Orleans and can be found online at Artbycrystale.com.
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Miriam Ragan
Miriam Ragan has been painting in the New Orleans French Quarter for over 30 years, and has been available during this time to painting customers and art lovers on Jackson Square. Her paintings are of varied subjects, but the bulk of her artwork is of Louisiana swamps, New Orleans and French Quarter scenes, and paintings of floral still lifes and southern flowers, such as the magnolia.
Although Miriam has tried painting in acrylics, the medium doesn’t suit her style, so she returned to the oil and watercolor media that she loves so much. In recent years, she has made some of her work available in the form of printed reproductions
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Jason Rodriguez
Born and raised in New York and Miami, Jason Rodriguez loved art from early on. He received his BFA from the Memphis College of Art, where we won scholarships and participated in the Horn Island program. He’s designed murals and had his work featured in Miambiance Magazine, Propaganda New Orleans (Nola Prop.), and on WGNO’s News with a Twist.
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Christine Roy
Christine Roy visual artist working in New Orleans, LA. She displays her work Friday through Monday in the historical Jackson Square.
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Varis Tameev
Varis moved to New Orleans in 1997, where he was then hired by the famous Kern Company to sculpt Mardi Gras floats and decorative elements for the city’s casinos and hotels. His grandfather made sculptures of horses made of wood. The horses is a symbol of independence and freedom.
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Cassie Tarr
Cassie Tarr is an artist based out of New Orleans, LA. She works in a variety of media and is known for her whimsy and creative use of materials.
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Annie Walker
Annie Walker is a local artist. After she received a degree in Studio Art from Tulane in 2007, she passed on her love of art to students through teaching. Now, she’s an independent artist making her mark on the Big Easy.
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Vivian Westerman
Vivian Westerman has worked on Jackson Square for 25 years doing portraits, caricatures and paintings.
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April Whitecotton
A north Louisiana native, April fell in love with New Orleans on her first visit in 2006. Although she’s only been an artist by trade for a few years, it’s been her passion since childhood.
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Andrew Wilkie
Andrew loves using unique personalities to tell stories-often the people and their stories hail from New Orleans. His large scale portraits play with pigments and varied textures. If you like he’s work, you can commission him to do a portrait for you.
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Barbara Yochum
Barbara decided at the tender age of 5 to be an artist and never looked back. She paints angels, mermaids, and fairies because she says she was born intrigued with magic.
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MOUSIE
New Orleans Artist MOUSIE first set up an easel on Jackson Square in 1977. After almost 20 years of producing portraits, caricatures, and watercolor paintings on the Square, MOUSIE began to create the work for which she is best known, portraying “The Magic, the Mystery, and the Pageantry” of New Orleans through elegant “Art Nounew” ladies (“Art Nounew,” because it’s 100 years too late to be “Art Nouveau!”). Original paintings of the images hang available for purchase on the fence at Jackson Square.
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Judy Hutchinson
Judy Hutchinson Tunnard is a Southern Lousiana Artist and Sculptor. She attended Newcomb School of Art and graduated with a fine arts degree in painting and drawing from Lousiana State University in 1988. Judy Loved painting from a young age and was inspired by her mom who was a watercolorist. Her mediums include oil, acrylics, encaustic, and clay. Many of her pieces are inspired by nature, people, and the city of New Orleans.
Are You a Jackson Square Artist?
We strive to keep a current list of artists who work in the Square as a resource for our readers. If you would like to create a listing or update any information we have listed, please contact us.