Oil paint on raw canvas,
75″ x 80″
Breaux utilizes old family photos to translate her connection between her childhood and New Orleans. In each painting, she includes a bandana-type cloth. Growing up, the artist’s father carried a bandana in his back pocket. Including this in all her pieces allows her to feel closer to him. It also speaks for all of the experiences she had to endure when she was back home in New Orleans.
Snakey Rakey is an oil painting that captures the essence of memory within the people and culture in the city of New Orleans. At the center of the piece sits a male figure wearing an American flag shirt, symbolizing his patriotism for American culture. The figure is seated on a white plastic lawn chair, an everyday object from this environment. Replicating the simplicity of life in New Orleans. In the background stands a pickup truck with a New Orleans Saints bumper sticker, invoking a sense of tradition of Southern culture. The unpainted portion of the piece ties the painting together in the form of a memory, which represents the inability to recollect details from past experiences. Creating a visual dialogue between history, culture, and the people of New Orleans.
ARTIST BIO:
Alexandra Breaux is an artist based in Miami, FL. She received her Bachelor’s in Art with a Minor in Art History from Florida International University in 2020. She is currently pursuing the MFA degree in painting at FIU. Breaux was born in New Orleans, LA (b.1998). In 2005, the destruction of Hurricane Katrina forced her and her family to relocate. Growing up, she found a way to channel the life experiences she had gone through at such a young age through art. Oil painting was a medium that allowed her to slow down and reflect. Breaux utilizes old and current family photos to translate her connection between her childhood and New Orleans. Using colors and paint fluidity has become part of her identity, which is found in her artistic practice today.