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 November 2007
Louisiana Homes & Gardens Magazine
by Lisa LeBlanc-Berry
Art inspires the human spirit. It takes us to a better place, or gives us a deeper understanding of the world in which we live. Some who see the highly original
oil paintings of New Orleans' James Michalopoulos are at once inspired by the mystical abstraction of the subjects at hand. There is a palpable energy in the artist's much copied architectural renderings that sway sideways, rear back drunkenly, lurch over sidewalks, and move towards the viewer, almost as if they were human.
His colors dance in and out of the canvas, as to invite the viewer inside. The houses seem to breathe, often in a melancholy manner, sometimes with a jazzy spirit. There is an inherent
musicality about the artist's paintings of New Orleans houses (perhaps this is because he is the former art director for the House of Blues Productions and the former art director of ABC in Concert). His is the kind of art, once viewed, that one feels compelled to have. Collectors of his work include Bruce Willls, Sharon Stone, John Goodman, Linda Hamilton, and
Bonnie Raitt.
Those who cannot afford an original oil painting settle for prints and posters from the gallery (504-558-0505). Michalopoulos is a favorite of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation. He was commissioned four times to create the official Jazz Fest posters in 1998, 2001, 2003, and 2006.
Michalopoulos, who exhibits oil paintings exclusively but maintains a printmaking studio and a gallery in New Orleans, shows his work in France (where he is currently residing), England, Germany, and Holland, as well as New York, San Francisco, Atlanta, and Dallas.
"My style is an abstraction of the figurative," he states. "I like color, volumetric shape, and graphic lines. I take my liberties and express my emotion in a poetic interpretation. The abstractions facilitate a direct expression of the core essence of my subject. Currently, I paint the river Grosne."
The artist's second home is situated in a village in the Burgundy region of France called Montagny-Sur-Grosne. It is near Cluny and Macon, in the middle of wine country. "There are grapes everywhere and lots of hills and small villages. It is rare to see a car on the road after 9 pm," Michalopoulos says. "I live in a chateau which I am renovating. It is a beautiful spot on fifty acres next to a small village of sixty-seven people. I am surrounded by nature. There is a small, winding river that passes nearby and it's a great and inspiring subject." Many of the artist's new works are centered on or near the meandering river. The canvasses have a dreamy, romantic quality and draw the viewer in with their lush colors and deepening motion. The earth and river seem to breathe, similar to his architectural renderings of New Orleans homes.
Besides being an artist, Michalopoulos wears other hats. He is also the owner of a restaurant (Etoile) and a wine shop (Louisiana Star) in Covington, and is the creator of a sugarcane rum, which earned a gold medal for the best aged rum in America from the American Distillers Institute this year.
"I am passionate about wine and food," says Michalopoulos. "I have been exhibiting my work in France for about fifteen years and living in a wine region, so a wine bar and bistro felt natural for me. I feel that great food and fine wine are a big part of the good life." Etoile is a quaint bistro with a strong French orientation in the heart of downtown
Covington, and is flanked by a wine bar (where wine tastings are offered each first and third Thursday of the month with complimentary hors d'oeuvres).
"My experiences in Switzerland led me to begin my first studies of rum. With associates, I began to produce what is now called Old New Orleans Rum," he says. "We produce four types of rum: white rum, a three-year-old blend, spiced rum, and a ten-year-old amber. They are all natural, barrel aged, Louisiana sugarcane rum. But my painting is my primary occupation. I have some other enterprises, but they are largely led by my associates. I work alone in a studio and I usually put in nine or ten hours a day," he comments. "I paint at whim some still lifes or cars or people. I try to stay focused on the subjects that grab me in the moment."
Michalopoulos shifts his subjects frequently, but for now, it is France and the river. "Right now, the fall colors and harvest have gotten my attention," he says. "I use this subject to explore the essence of the countryside and nature. On one level, the subject is the river Grosne, and the profound question is how to present a landscape in its true complexity. Therefore, I am working to find a visual language to express the inherent beauty and complexity of nature. This is a rich region, great for recharging the artistic batteries." While pushing the dimensions of the pigment in the same way that people move and breathe, Michalopoulos refreshes the familiar with a powerful evocation of the subject's spirit.
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