Armstrong House on Carondelet in New Orleans by Jason London Hawkins

Description

Jason London Hawkins grew up in Pigeon Valley,  in the shadows of Western North Carolina. From the beginning, he had an unusual penchant for houses, history and art. The penchant was fueled by fascinating visits with his elderly neighbors, The Plotts. They told of all the local history and drove young Jason around to all the old cemeteries and dilapidated farmhouses. Jason amused himself in summertime by building models out of milk carton paper of his favorite houses. His first interest in Louisiana was kindled at age 11 when he saw pictures of Belle Grove Plantation in a book at the Waynesville Public Library. The photos and floor plans filled him with strange visions of young ladies mourning and lavish furnishings.

Hawkins moved to Savannah, Georgia in 1991 to study Historic Preservation and Art History at Savannah College of Art & Design. Jason had always drawn intricate drawings and built models from scratch, but in Savannah his interests shifted to painting most of all. Savannah was and is entrancing, whispering its secrets through the haunted streets of gracefully restrained buildings. Hawkins began decorating his apartment in the old and haunted Haywood Mansion with his painted fantasies. To his surprise, they were very well loved and even purchased by friends and professors. Jason began visiting his older brother in New Orleans in 1991 and returned again and again, finding something new each time.

In 1995, after finishing college, Jason moved to New Orleans. He worked at Gallier House and moved on to La Crepe Nanou in 1996 where he began bartending and showing his paintings that fall. For 8 years Jason lived in a variety of crumbling houses large and small and around the Garden District. These houses were all a source of inspiration and many paintings were created there to cover the tall walls. Fantasy ladies and twilight skies combined with historic houses and twisting tree limbs to enliven the shadows and drive away demons.

Eventually, rising rent prompted Hawkins to acquire the recently restored Kid Ory House in Central City in 2003. This historic landmark provided shelter for Hawkins when he foolishly stayed for Hurricane Katrina and for nearly 3 weeks afterward. It has taken several years to partially recover from this experience and the inner deaths which it caused. Painting has remained a refuge from rage. Life and progress in Central City has improved somewhat and has remained lively in the face of murder and indifference.