An imaginary street scene in a seedy part of New Orleans is depicted in NOLA Nightlife, a striking drawing that Kuimeaux (KEE-mo) discusses in this video. The drawing is packed with many things he loved and that inspired or inhabit several of his drawings – cityscapes, architecture, bars and commercial art (“good” commercial art, he would qualify). A couple of elements set this work apart from all his others – it’s irregular, tattered-looking shape and some colorful characters he introduces us to and has a lot of fun describing. People seldom populate Kuimeaux’s art, but when they do, they usually appear indistinct and nameless in distant crowds in small town scenes or cityscapes. That’s not the case here, where Kuimeaux shares witty observations about Gery, Eva and Pearl at Gery’s Orleans Club, and other denizens of the Big Easy who ply their trades on the block.
This video was produced in 2023 from footage shot in 2015 in Sherwood, Arkansas at the home of Kuimeaux’s sister and brother-in-law, Linda and Dan McInturff. It is presented in loving memory of Kuimeaux.