Artist Statement: It’s a painting of New Orleans in winter. No snow of course. In fact, there are no signs of it being winter except for the bare tree. The design is colorful, fun, and magical. Just like our city. Plus I put the superdome in there, you gotta have the superdome.
Chrissy Campo Horne was born in New Orleans in 1978 and grew up dreaming of being a real artist. Because the internet didn’t exist back then, she believed her dream was just that. A dream. Not something that could realistically be pursued and achieved. In the 90s, she took art classes at Delgado and was told that she would never get accepted into an art school because she had a sensory aversion to charcoal. She continued making art through the 2000s, never showing it to anyone, believing that she just wasn’t good enough (Which was probably true at this point, let’s be real.) Then came Instagram. Pregnant with her third child art 41 years old, Chrissy was restricted from basic activities due to complications with her pregnancy. She was not allowed to workout, do laundry, or even go to the grocery. So she threw herself into painting. And into scrolling Instagram. There were so many people posting their art. She decided to take a risk and post some of her work too (not a *huge* risk because she only had 4 followers and one was her dad.) The reaction she got was so positive and supportive that it changed her life. She steadily gained new followers with each post and then people started requesting commissions. She participated in some local art markets and found that people were actually excited to purchase her paintings! For the first time she thought that being a working artist might actually be a realistic goal. Now, Chrissy lives in Lakeview with her husband and kids where she paints magical landscapes, city scenes, goofy birds, and the occasional portrait in her garage studio. She still posts her work on Instagram and attends classes at the New Orleans Academy of Fine Art. She has not touched a piece of charcoal in years. Life is sweet.
