MAGIC & DESIGN IN NEW ORLEANS / francois verloin de gruy

+NEW ORLEANS+

>was a very special place for a french creole child<

>to take the "yazoo & mississippi valley railway"<

+(GOOGLE : EUGENE RAY+

+/ NEW ORLEANS CHILD)+

>train in the summer from baton rouge to spend<

>vacation time absorbing the essence of life<

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

+FRANCOIS VERLOIN de GRUY+

>has been an important part of my life for as long<

>as i can remember via the radiant portrait by the<

+(GOOGLE :>>>> EUGENE RAY / +

+FRANCOIS VERLOIN DE GRUY)+

>great french portrait painter, vaudechamp in my<

>gruy (ray) grandmother's house, now in ours<

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

+MULTI-TALENTED+

>francois had been educated in paris w/ charles<

>gayarre, absorbing the magic world of victor<

+(GOOGLE : EUGENE RAY+

+>/CHARLES NODIER)+

>hugo and charles nodier at the arsenal library<

>& learned to build on his fathers plantation<

+(TEMPLAR SUGAR MILL /+

+HUGO / LOUIS PHILIPPE)+

>(in the templar geomancy of his ancestors<

>scholar cousin gayarre / (foucher debore)<

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 >our degruy (ray) grandmother referred to the<
>portrait as "grand pa" but for me after much<
+(GOOGLE : EUGENE RAY /+
+GRUY in HUGO'S PARIS)+
>research, he was a very impressive persona<
+(BOOKSHOP OF THE+
+>> / MARVELOUS)+
>/ doctor, architect, educated in hugo's paris<
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 >life on the early french indigo plantation of<
>francois's great grand father, jean baptiste<
+(GOOGLE :> EUGENE RAY /+
+ELIZABETH de MONTAUT)+
>degruy was w/ the aristocratic widow he<
>wed, elizabeth de montaut de monberaud<
>(descended from french de albret queen)<
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

>out in st. bernard parish at chalmette, the cavaroc<
>family plantation had its own french connections<
+(GOOGLE : EUGENE RAY /+
+CAVAROC PLANTATION)+
>to bordeaux odilon redon arts & seignoret family<
>art furniture as later filled our baton rouge house<
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 >our talented mother, gladys marie staigg (cavaroc)<
>ray inherited the cavaroc artistic dna & a precious<
+(GOOGLE :>>>  EUGENE RAY /+
+RICHARD MORRELL STAIGG)+
>relic in our home was a miniature portrait by her<
>famed ancestor richard morrell staigg (newport)<
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 >it is exciting this vieux carre route "pirates alley<
>was used by the famed bouligny family whose<
+(GOOGLE : EUGENE RAY+
+> / BOULIGNY FAMILY)+
>plantation house in reserve on the river we shall<
>see soon thanks to our friend tommy macintosh<
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

>like our deceased friend >clarence john laughlin<
>much of our oeuvre is enriched by french vision<
+(GOOGLE : EUGENE RAY+
+> / NOLA SURREALISM)+
>of a super realistic nature, w/ the vieux carre &<
>plantation milieux perfect roots mise-en-scene<
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 >i congratulate our friend & patron john h.<
>lawrence (right behind marianne next to<
+(GOOGLE : EUGENE RAY+
+>>/ NAPOLEON HOUSE)+
>mary lynn hyde, my brother walker left<
>behind me, for c. laughlin preservation<
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 >our cavaroc blood expressed in this collage w/<
>our mother surrounded by books on egyptian<
+(GOOGLE : EUGENE RAY+
+/ MATRIX FOR MAGIC)+
>magic, paris , & fantastic chateau w/ graphics<
>of my vision : (african nuns & biomorphics)<
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

>st. germain, anton mesmer and wilhelm reich<
+(GOOGLE : EUGENE RAY /+
+MESMER & ST. GERMAIN)+
>are inspirations to my nola radiant concepts<
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

>perhaps the greatest contribution i have made<
>to artistry was to synergize my architectural<
+(GOOGLE : EUGENE RAY+
+>>/ XEROX GRAPHICS)+
>oeuvre w/ my metaphysical oeuvre as seen<
>in these last two pairs of tonight's photos<
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

>our place d'armes hotel was the aufrere/perry<
+(GOOGLE :>> EUGENE RAY /+
+AUFRERE / PERRY / NOLA)+
>ancestors early vieux carre town house locus<
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

>organic magic and magicians have fascinated me<

>and galvanized my life & work & new orleans<

+(GOOGLE : EUGENE RAY /+

+NEW ORLEANS MAGIC)+

>was the perfect american locus to prepare for<

>a life where reality is >transcendental vision<

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

+HEAT+SEEDS+SOIL+

>(biotronic alchemy)<

+> / RAIN & LIGHT+

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
eugene ray, mfa, architect
professor emeritus, sdsu