Jourdan River

I bought this picture in Bay St. Louis about a month ago and its been at Hobby Lobby since. It's finally ready today! The picture is called Jourdan River and this is the story behind it: (the "storm" is Katrina)
Jourdan River
By Dwelia Haas
After the storm we were without water and electricity for several days. There was a motel that had water but no electricity not far from our home. My family and I rented a room at that motel just to take showers. The water was so cold that it would take my breath, but as soon as I stepped out into the motel room I would start sweating again. It was a hot box. Well, it was a blessing that we had the room rented, because the motel got electricity a week before my home. So for a week we would work in the neighborhood and then go to the motel to sleep at night.
We took some old rabbit ears and hooked them up to the motel's television. When I had watched news programs before the storm, I had never thought about people in disaster areas not being able to see themselves on television during interviews. My family knew how strong the storm had been in south Mississippi because we experienced it, but we did not know how wide the path of destruction had been till we saw the news on the television at the motel. On the news that first night, I saw a nurse being interviewed from a medical center that had been flooded during the storm. The nurse had described looking out the medical center window and seeing the floodwaters go by. She said that she saw alligators, snakes and fish from the window. The way she described it made me think of a window looking into an aquarium. This is when I got the idea to paint the picture I named "Jourdan River".
The painting, "Jourdan River", has swirling colors of floodwaters with creatures that have been washed from their swampy home to an urban medical center. It seems like a surreal thought that came true when the storm caused creatures that don't belong in the city to arrive there so abruptly.
I went home the morning after seeing the nurse being interviewed and brought a canvas and paints to the motel. I spread newspaper all over the floor of the motel room and started my process. It was wonderful to get to paint. It was such a release of emotion. Just like a good night's sleep, I needed to paint. The results of the process are somewhat pleasing to my eye. I hope it is pleasing to most eyes. From what I understand, Mrs. Carrie Frigo purchased the original painting "Jourdan River" at Justduit Again in Bay St. Louis for her husband Dr. Chris Frigo. Because of the painting, the creatures from the flood are once again in an urban environment, but this time they are just hanging out on the wall in the doctor's office.

Go to www.justduitagain.com for more by the artist!