EDGAR DEGAS IN NEW ORLEANS / marian & marianne gratitude

+MARIAN WAS >BORN IN NEW ORLEANS+

>(new orleans is a magical city that<

>provided us many joyous times in< 

>the milieu of our >vital ancestors)<

+MARIANNE LOVES NEW ORLEANS TOO+

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

+"DEGAS IN >NEW ORLEANS"+

+NOW A "MUST READ" BOOK+

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

>has been an important theme in my research<

>into our creole families contact w/ the great<

>parisian painter when he visited his family<

+GOOGLE : EUGENE RAY+

+>>> / EDGAR DEGAS+

>in new orleans staying on esplanade ave<

>in his >mousson mother's family home<

>w/ its links out to >degruy plantations<

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

+MARIANNE & I+

>spent an intriguing night in the bed and<

>breakfast hotel, now located in the old<

+(GOOGLE :EUGENE RAY+

+/ ESPLANADE AVENUE)+

>mousson family home on esplanade<

>where >degas lived during his visit<

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 

 >we were the only guests that night and we<
>were pleased that edgar degas ghost felt a<
+(GOOGLE : EUGENE RAY+
+>>>> / NEW ORLEANS)+
>bond w/ us as i am a great fan of his life<
>& work in paris where he >depicted all<
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 >marianne and i loved the creole ambience &<
>we once stayed several nights on esplanade<
+GOOGLE : EUGENE RAY+
+>>/ LAMOTHE FAMILY+
>in my lamothe ancestors town house now a<
>b&b surrounded by >portraits of ancestors<
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 >when you stay in a new orleans vieux carre<
>hotel have your breakfast in the "coffee pot"<
+(GOOGLE : EUGENE RAY+
+ / CALAS TOUT CHAUD)+
>cafe on st. peter st. where the waitress shall<
>sing to you / "calas tout chaud" (hot cakes)<
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 >when we moved to california i developed<
>a special version of mail art graphics and<
+(GOOGLE :>>> EUGENE RAY /+
+METAPHYSICAL GRAPHICS)+
>improved xerography provided me an<
>affordable new orleans collage media<
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 >photography had been an important medium<
>of documenting my creole families history &<
+(GOOGLE : EUGENE RAY /+
+CAVAROC PLANTATION)+
>this photo of the cavaroc families plantation<
>was made in the 50s w/ my >new leica 3-f<
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 >by the late 1960s cosmic consciousness in<
>my work expressed itself in many projects<
+(GOOGLE : EUGENE RAY+
+ / TULANE UNIVERSITY)+
>the culmination at tulane university where<
>i constructed this >exhibition spring 1969<
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 >during my entire years of work in new orleans<
>& the sansouco forest the mayan yucatan had<
+(GOOGLE : EUGENE RAY+
+>>>>> / CHAK MOOL)+
>an important place in my >inspiration w/ chak<
>mool of augustus le plongeon very important<
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 >marian's radiant beauty energized my life and<
>work for 48 magnificent years and i am very<
+(GOOGLE : EUGENE RAY+
+>>> / TAXCO, MEXICO)+
>happy to remember taxco mexico was our<
>destination as we left on our honeymoon<
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 >the seligman residence in covington louisiana<
>(under construction) on the bogue falaya river<
+(GOOGLE : EUGENE RAY /+
+SELIGMAN RESIDENCE)+
>was the most >cosmic conscious of all of the<
>buildings i built in louisiana near new orleans<
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 >the best design i made for louisiana, in my<
>estimation, was this "modern plantation" a<
+(GOOGLE : EUGENE RAY /+
+MODERN PLANTATION)+
>prototype drawn in california that utilizes<
>solar, wind & biotronic energy radiance<
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
                                      
 >"for one brief moment there was camelot"<
>here is the catholic chapel of my youth in<
+(GOOGLE : EUGENE RAY+
+>>/ HOSPITAL CHAPELS)+
>baton riuge (1953, i was 21) under con<
>struction as i drove marian out to see it<
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 >this is that "cosmic conscious" design made<
>for the seligman residence in about 1963 &<
+(GOOGLE : EUGENE RAY+
+>/ COSMIC CONSCIOUS)+
>the >first circular concept of my louisiana<
>oeuvre / (california oeuvre based on this)<
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 >yesterday i made contact w/ marian's family<
>on Facebook and they will remember how<
+(GOOGLE : EUGENE RAY+
+>>/ SANSOUCI FOREST)+
>exciting it was for us in our new sansouci<
>forest "jungle studio home" christmas 60<
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

+OUR HOUSE LIT UP THE FOREST+

+WITH RADIANT LIGHT INSIDE &+

>(my first residential gift for<

>marian, christmas of 1960)<

+OUTSIDE / IT WAS A BEACON OF+

+>JOYOUS MANIFESTATION, 1960+

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

>marian's smile, like marianne's smile<

>made it all a glorious delirium  of a<

+(AS WE LIGHTED OUR+

+1st CHRISTMAS TREE)+

>transcendental magnitude of energy<

>(a wife's beauty is heavenly manna)<

 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+55 YEARS LATER IT SEEMS+
>(sadly both homes today<
>are shells of >early joy)<
+DREAM OF RADIANT JOY+ !
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>eugene ray, mfa, architect
professor emeritus, sdsu