My husband and I share a an upcoming wedding anniversary in August, where we tied the knot in my home town, New Orleans. I couldn’t help but reflect upon a deeply favorited work I created last month: a commissioned umbrella for a New Orleans wedding, which of course, concluded with a celebratory second line of the wedding party and guests, with the new bride and groom leading the way.

Being from New Orleans, I know how special this commission was. This umbrella was not only going to be a work of art that would be experienced and enjoyed in real life, in real time, but also serve as an incredible relic to remind the viewer of how much fun, love and joy they experienced that special day.

Nola Wedding Second Line Umbrella Commission by AVM Hawkins

Celebrate Life, a NOLA Wedding Second Line Umbrella, is an AVM original, hand painted umbrella created to help celebrate the New Orleans Wedding of John David and Katherine Johnson. This AVM Original work was created to commemorate and celebrate love in my hometown, New Orleans, LA, where the wedding and second line took place.

In New Orleans, we celebrate life. All of it. The highs and the lows. We celebrate births, and we honor transitions. We value people, music, culture, the arts, and celebrations. In New Orleans, we know how to live, how to love, and how to love life. It was such an honor to work on this project. I’m so grateful for the trust and the free creative reign to paint this work of art.

When people think of New Orleans, we tend to think about music, food, culture, people of every walks of life, celebrating everything and anything we can. Celebration, Culture, and Community are the three major pillars that represent New Orleans. I purposely chose bright vibrant colors, across the spectrum to embody the fun, celebratory nature of New Orleans as well as these three pillars that encompass New Orleans. The colors in this umbrella signify all the colors of the spectrum, all the colors of the universe, signifying the. unified nature of all human beings.

Upon examining the umbrella, I realized that I did not need to reinvent the wheel by creating a brand new design. I could embrace the intricate design innate within the umbrella and allow the painted colors to accentuate the craftsmanship of the umbrella.

I first painted the inside of the umbrella blue, choosing blue to serve as the work’s foundational base color underneath. Blue provides an excellent contrast for bright colors such as yellow and orange, allowing these colors to really pop.

After painting the inside, underneath layer blue, I continue painting on the top, inner sphere, working my way to the outer tips of the umbrella, choosing and using one color at a time, selecting each color intuitively upon the completion of the segment before. The umbrella unfolded before me, without any predetermined plan of how the work would look in the end.

I chose each color naturally, imagining which color would look best and reflect the joy and love that would transpire on that day. It was such a joy and honor to paint this umbrella that can be used to celebrate, while also serving as a unique original work of art that will forever commemorate these nuptials.

I so enjoyed creating this commission. New Orleans is a very special place for me, where my soul always resides. I carry her with me and I think so many people do as well. New Orleans, my family, my culture always proves to be a constant source of inspiration that fuels my desire to constantly create art, love, and memories.

Art Highlight: NOLA Wedding Second Line Umbrella