I absolutely love art and have a deep appreciation for artists (most likely because I wish I had artistic ability).
I had the pleasure of meeting Sarah Hebert, a local Houma artist who has captivated my artistic interest with her extraordinary artwork. I began following Sarah last year on Instagram and fell in love with her neutral color palette and detailed aesthetic when capturing staples of Louisiana culture.
Sarah says, “About a year ago, I really starting expressing my love for architecture, especially New Orleans architecture. I can’t take a trip to the city without obsessing over the gorgeous buildings anywhere from the French quarter, to the colorful shotgun homes, to the stunning uptown gallery style homes. Another one of my favorite things to paint are the iron street lights throughout downtown Nola or the amazing ironwork in the rails and fencing in the French Quarter.”
When viewing Sarah’s work in person, the detail throughout her collection had me awestruck! The amount of detail that goes into each piece is truly something you must all see in person.
Sarah, a Nicholls graduate, wanted to put her marketing degree to use by combining her hidden talent and artistic ability. Many of her friends and family knew of her artistic ability, so Sarah decided to open up her own Etsy shop to put her marketing degree to use while being able to express herself creatively.
Sarah says, “Although I have never taken a single art class, I can remember many people saying I should follow through with my talent, but at the time I just thought of it as a hobby.”
The story of where Sarah’s talent derives is truly inspiring. At the age of 38, Sarah’s great grandfather was diagnosed a quadriplegic from contracting polio. Her great father, an active farmer and mechanic, who was faced with a life-altering future, was encouraged by her great grandmother to take up a hobby.
Sarah’s great grandmother suggested that her great-grandfather take up painting, an unfamiliar teritiory in which he could express himself freely.
“I do feel that I inherited at least a piece of my talent from my great grandfather that I didn’t have the chance to meet, says Sarah. He started with number paintings and that developed into “free mouth” paintings. Yes, he painted all of his painting with a paintbrush in his mouth. He completely taught himself this newfound talent despite the obstacles life threw at him, so his story is a huge motivator for me.”
Her great grandfather is the definition of talent. This painting of a Louisiana boat hangs in Sarah’s studio. This is one of the paintings Sarah inherited from her great grandfather. She told me that having this picture hanging in her studio is a constant motivator as she works on the new pieces in her collection.
Just as her great grandfather, Sarah’s work is inspired by Louisiana culture.
She says, “Not only does the architecture majorly inspire my work, but the culture ties everything together in making New Orleans the city that it is. Of course, I can’t resist painting Louisiana’s beautiful magnolias or good ‘ol seafood, like oysters and crabs, that is obviously a HUGE part of the culture here. There’s just so much more than “Louisiana swamps” that I feel so many people stereotype it to be and I try to bring out that beauty and the details in my work.”
Sarah’s talent is truly extraordinary. I can’t express that enough! I left her studio feeling so inspired.
My goal when starting this blog was for this to not only be a reflection of me, but the area in which I live.
Sarah has managed to capture staples of our culture and heritage and find beauty in the detail of something as simple as the New Orleans style fencing and street lights.
For the future of her busines, Sarah says, “I would love to have my own gallery one day, but it’s more important for me to work with homeowners and designers to create the perfect pieces to accent their homes! For people living in this state, it’s a reminder of the uniqueness their home state has to offer. I have painted pieces for people that have moved away from Louisiana, and I can tell you that it is so rewarding to hear that I have created a piece for them that “brings them back home.”
If any of you are interested and eager to see Sarah’s work in person, you can find much of her work at Furnish in New Orleans. I guarantee you will not leave empty handed or disappointed.
It was such a pleasure to feature Sarah and her work on the blog. Be sure to follow her on social media (instagram), (facebook) to keep up with the latest pieces in her collection!
As always,
Stay GorJess