Nicole Ockmond

Artist + Nicole Ockmond

"Ya just where ya are & dat's where it's at" Dr. John.

I have been drawing since I was knee high to a grasshopper. Painting came a little later but not by much. I was born and raised in New Orleans until my parents divorced. My mom remarried a military man and so we moved around a bit and it was hard to make friends but I always had my art to occupy my time. My mother was a pianist and she did a little dabbling around in the paint so she tried to teach me what she knew. I didn't have any formal art training until maybe high school & then I learned how to draw circles, lines, and the fundamentals in college. That was also where I got to paint with oils for the first time and my professor told me I was a natural. None of my professors were sticklers for technique, they allowed us just to play around and figure things out or maybe that's just the way I remember it. Painting really was my first true love until music came into my life.

For about 10 years I abandoned my first love without a second thought except for an occasional commission or entry into a show.  I was a singer in a blues band and that was immediate gratification and audience interactive. So different from my first love painting who required hours of solo work without any exposure to the outside world. I learned how to play guitar so I could accompany myself and tell my own stories, interned at a local studio to learn the recording process & gigged in and around New Orleans.  I also needed to pay the bills so up until recently I had a full time job as a buyer and retail manager.

I put the finishing touches on an album I had in the can and needed artwork for the cover. There was zero budget so I decided to do portraits of my trio to use as the album artwork.  That was in 2017 and I released the CD in December of that year. At the time I was managing 6 retail spaces so I knew I would not have time to do a CD release party until spring of 2018. To make it special I decided to do portraits of the musicians that contributed on that album and hold a combined art show & CD release party in May of 2018. The "Something Out Of Nothing" show was held at Treo on Tulane Ave. Later that same year I had a one woman show "With a Little Help From My Friends" at The Artisan Cafe on St. Claude in October/November of 2018. Again combining my two loves art & music, I  showcased my paintings and my trio performed each month during the St. Claude Art Walk. 

My creative process is just one foot in front of the other,  taking and making the next logical step in the unfolding and ever evolving act of creating and discovery. I never know what I'm gonna get up to but I'm excited to see. One thing I know for sure, it will continue to involve all of the characters of New Orleans that I am constantly inspired by.

 

Meet the Artists

Local art is the lifeblood of our culture and communities. We source work from hundreds of painters, muralists, sculptors, metal workers, printmakers, illustrators, photographers, and textile artists, every one of whom is part of your local community.

Bird Watching
Ember Soberman Painting / Mixed Media
MID-CITY
Ember Soberman
Alejandra
Katie Kut Painting
BYWATER
Katie Kut
Land Before Time II
Leroy Miranda Jr. Painting
MARIGNY
Leroy Miranda Jr.
Confluence of Emotions in a Field
Donald Fontenot Painting
MANDEVILLE
Donald Fontenot
"Olivia"
Brett Henderson Painting
MARIGNY
Brett Henderson
Grey Green Ladder
Julie Silvers Julie Silvers Art
Painting
OLD METAIRIE
Julie Silvers
Lenny
Lionel Milton Elleone
Painting
Lionel Milton
Moon Moss
Stephen Rooney Painting
LOWER NINTH WARD
Stephen Rooney
The Godfather of Soul
Lucille Anderson Lucille Blues
Painting
LOWER 9TH WARD
Lucille Anderson
Glissando
Connor McManus Mixed Media / Painting
UPTOWN
Connor McManus
The Neighborhood
Ella Albrecht Painting
UPPER 9TH WARD
Ella Albrecht
Wildlife
Mary Singleton Painting
Mary Singleton
Abstract #2
Toné Lowe Painting
Toné Lowe
Festival des Acadiens
Devin De Wulf Folk / Outsider Art / Painting / Photography
BYWATER
Devin De Wulf
Waiter/Waitress
Alexandra Kilburn Illustration / Painting
FRENCH QUARTER
Alexandra Kilburn
Science Mural
Brent Houzenga Painting
Brent Houzenga
Swamp Goddess Print
Saegan Swanson Painting
CENTRAL CITY
Saegan Swanson
Pictures at an Exhibition
Stephanie Reed Painting
7TH WARD
Stephanie Reed
Blue Notecard
Shelby Little Painting
SAINT ROCH
Shelby Little
LYRS
Gabrielle Tolliver Painting
Gabrielle Tolliver
seen
Jessica Strahan JHand Paints
Painting
UPPER 9TH WARD
Jessica Strahan
Le Bon Temp Roule
Nurhan Gokturk Illustration / Painting
BYWATER/LOWER NINTH WARD
Nurhan Gokturk
Blushing Oyster Original Painting
Sarah Nelson Sarah Nelson Fine Art
Painting
BYWATER
Sarah Nelson
Buddy Bolden
Connie Kittok Painting
UPTOWN
Connie Kittok
Bohemian Beauties
Nancy Wolfe Kimberly Gator Girl Art
Painting
EAST CARROLLTON
Nancy Wolfe Kimberly
Mardi Gras Ball
Lee Morais Painting
Lee Morais
Head to Toe
Kris Muntan Painting
NORTHSHORE
Kris Muntan
Ascending Trees
Louise Guidry Encaustic / Monotype / Painting / Printmaking
Louise Guidry
"Hubig Pies and a Barq's"
John Turner Painting
SOUTH CARROLLTON
John Turner
Circus Pig – on Chartres Near NOCCA
Ramiro Diaz Painting
Ramiro Diaz
Shattered Shorty
Patrick Henry Victory Arts
Painting
SLIDELL
Patrick Henry
Clouds Uplifting
Daryl D. Johnson Painting
BAYOU ST. JOHN
Daryl D. Johnson
Kermit Ruffins : BBQ swinger
Gabriel Flores New Orleans Paint and Design
Painting
RIVERBEND
Gabriel Flores
Zulu Uptown
Sean Randall Painting
IRISH CHANNEL
Sean Randall
Pink Cadillac
Cheryl Anne Grace Painting
UPTOWN
Cheryl Anne Grace
Infinite Sadness
Jeremy Paten Mixed Media / Painting
UPTOWN
Jeremy Paten
Okra Farms: Lower 9th Ward, New Orleans, LA
Miro Hoffmann Painting
Miro Hoffmann
Harley Baby
Rise Delmar Ochsner Painting
Rise Delmar Ochsner
'Mono No Aware' Fine Art Print
Heather Bird Harris Painting
GENTILLY
Heather Bird Harris
Red Cloud 12.01
George Dolgy Painting
BYWATER
George Dolgy
High Tide
Debbie Boyd Painting
ALGIERS POINT
Debbie Boyd
Temperance (XIV)
Margaux Hymel Art by Gaux Gaux
Painting
GARDEN DISTRICT
Margaux Hymel
Tylor and His Dog Lemon
Paige DeVries Painting
7TH WARD
Paige DeVries
Unbroken Shadows
Blair Dupre Painting
Blair Dupre
Awake Print on Cotton Paper
Josie Azuma Painting
UPTOWN
Josie Azuma
"The March"
Meghan Methe Painting
METARIE
Meghan Methe
Aftermath
Rebecca Birtel Madura Painting
UPTOWN
Rebecca Birtel Madura
Landscape Layers
Kat Ryalls Painting
BAYOU ST. JOHN
Kat Ryalls
Bicycle in the Marigny
Lyla Clayre Illustration / Painting
TREME / 7TH WARD
Lyla Clayre
Terrance Strikes a Pose on Lafitte Street
Drew Cooke Mixed Media / Painting
UPTOWN
Drew Cooke
Dr. John: "The Night Tripper"
Max Bernardi Painting
Max Bernardi
Scene from 'Alligator' (1980)
Thomas Deaton Painting
UPTOWN
Thomas Deaton
Hurricane Season homage to Trombone Shorty
George McClements Painting
BYWATER
George McClements
Tomb of The Unknown Slave
Queen Hope Parker Queen Hope Poetic Art
Painting
Queen Hope Parker
Watson 101 Print
Bruce Corona Drawing / Mixed Media / Painting
MID_CITY
Bruce Corona
Summer Song
Anne McLeod Painting
Anne McLeod
A Snowbird's Winter
Michael Eble Painting
LAFAYETTE
Michael Eble
Golden Hour
Anne Blenker Painting
MARIGNY
Anne Blenker
Yugen - Archival Print of Mixed Media Abstract on Watercolor Paper
Rachel Rice-Baham Painting / Mixed Media
DENHAM SPRINGS
Rachel Rice-Baham
Close Encounter
Maddie Stratton Painting
TREME
Maddie Stratton
No Coasters Needed
Kristen Albrecht Mixed Media / Painting
Kristen Albrecht
Limerita Angelica
Rayne Bories Painting
UPTOWN
Rayne Bories
Touch of Magenta - Geode
Lori Sperier Mixed Media / Painting
COVINGTON
Lori Sperier
Aggressive or Soft
Katie Yaquinto Painting
BROADMOOR
Katie Yaquinto
The Blues
Darlene Langendonk Art Impressions
Painting
NORTH SHORE
Darlene Langendonk
Meeting Notes #185
Sean Clark Painting
Sean Clark
Orgullo
MILAGROS Collective Painting
ALGIERS
MILAGROS Collective
"India"
Ceaux . Ceaux Artwork
Painting
UPTOWN
Ceaux .
Blue Roots 1
Emma Fick Painting
Emma Fick
Fragility- Fine Art Print
Kate Hanrahan Illustration / Mixed Media / Painting
Kate Hanrahan
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