Art

Item Description

This original signed piece by Dr. Bob is an assemblage of found items and wood. Size approx. 9”x14”.

With New Orleans artist Dr. Bob, what you see is what you get. Just like his emblematic folk art, he is honest and expressive, with no frills or affectations. His art studio in the Bywater is just about as whimsical and cheeky as Dr. Bob himself, with bright colors and a sign proclaiming it’s the “biggest tourist trap in the Bywater” and at the same time that there’s a “con artist inside.”

In the true folk art spirit, Dr. Bob finds the extra in the ordinary, creating his signature pieces with everyday, discarded materials like building scraps and bottle caps. Dr. Bob explains the method behind his madness, transitioning from free-hand design to taming the wild beast within with restraints to create more precise pieces. Whatever his approach, the result is always unforgettable. His hand-painted “Be Nice or Leave Signs” have become the welcome insignia of New Orleans and his colorful representations of New Orleans and Louisiana culture including swamp creatures, musicians and Creole food are staples in New Orleans businesses and homes.

Bob Shaffer, called Dr. Bob after he delivered his only son, was born in Kansas but grew up mostly in Louisiana. He began his art career as a sculptor who worked on Wilkinson Row in the French Quarter. Shaffer moved to his current Bywater studio on Chartres Street in the 1990s. On most days, you can find him in his spacious studio and shop painting his familiar slogan or whimsical scenes of the city or Louisiana wildlife, especially alligators. He creates his pieces on found materials, including Hurricane Katrina detritus, old ironing boards, trash can lids, coffee cans and more. He adorns many of the frames with old bottle caps. Shaffer says, "Ya gotta have soul and use real stuff" to be a good folk artist.

Over the past 20 years, Shaffer has had his work featured at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. It also has appeared at the Smithsonian Institute and is in the permanent collection at the House of Blues New Orleans. He plans to open a gallery on Magazine Street in the near future.

information from: bestofneworleans.com, gonola.com 

Item Special Note

Winning bidders, item will shipped via USPS in a flat rate envelope or box which includes $50 insurance and tracking.  This shipping charge will be added to the winning bid for this item. The item will be shipped once the auction is closed and payment has been processed. (If one bidder wins multiple items, we will attempt to consolidate shipping and reduce charges. Based on size, shape and packaging of some items, this may not always be possible).

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Members of the New Roads School community may pick up items at school once a distribution day is announced (approximately 6 days after the auction closes and payments are processed).