Terrance Osborne likes having his studio in his living room. Enter through the unique front door of his handsome home that he transformed into a work of art featuring the bright colors that mark his paintings, and take a few steps to the left and you immediately know this is a special house.
“I enjoy having my studio in the center of my life with my family,” explains the artist tapped to create the 2012 Jazz and Heritage Festival’s official poster. “This is where I work, this is where I live, this is where it all happens. Some artists like to isolate themselves when they paint; I want to be in the middle of my family’s life.” (Stephanie, his wife, is his manager and handles marketing his work; his three children are Sydni, 9, Seth, 11 and Terrance, 18.)
Yes, it is happening for Osborne. With the newest honor of the Jazz Fest poster under his belt, he also has had the unique distinction of designing a Nike Air Force 1 tennis shoe and a poster for its store in New Orleans, the first official NBA Hornets poster, and a huge mural of a New Orleans scene on the side of the New Orleans Hilton Riverside’s parking garage. His two Congo Square posters (2007 and 2010) are considered by many as the best in the series.
Spending time with Osborne in his fashionable home overlooking a backyard swimming pool and the golf course beyond, will make you marvel at his perseverance on the long journey from having once lived in the St. Bernard Project in New Orleans to becoming an admired and respected artist. Osborne sells his work for megabucks, yet he remains humble and ever mindful of the journey that has brought him thus far.
“I am proud to say that I am a product of the New Orleans Public School system that nurtured and provided me with the opportunity to study at the amazing New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA) as a high school student,” he says as he shows off the life-size image of Trombone Shorty that is the original of the art work he created for the 2012 Jazz Fest poster.
He didn’t always think he would end up as an artist. As an accomplished gymnast at a young age, Osborne had visions of becoming an outstanding athlete. “I was very self-motivated and being the best possible gymnast was the focus of my life, although I always loved art and already discovered that I could draw. Then along came Mrs. Johnston, my art teacher at Colton Junior High School on St. Claude Avenue. I credit her with being a guidepost that channeled my art talents in the right direction. She connected me with the Talented Visual Arts (TVA) program that was offered for children talented in the creative arts.”
Soon Buster Douglas, a visiting arts teacher, came on the horizon of Osborne’s world. “He nurtured and further encouraged me to pursue art and urged me to apply to NOCCA. It was a thrilling day when I found out I was accepted. It was a great place for me. I made many friends, including Frederick Johnston, also an art student, who took me to visit Richard Thomas, who was the first black professional artist I had ever met.”
Thomas gave Osborne paints and brushes and told him, “Now start painting and reinvesting every penny you make selling your work to purchasing more canvases and paints. He was very inspiring and gave me confidence and a wonderful push at an important point in my life. I can truly say that Richard has been the most important mentor in my life.”
When it was time for college, Osborne selected Xavier University where he received a degree in fine arts. “It was a good training ground for me and it helped further shape my talent and character in a positive manner.” After Xavier, Osborne taught art at Alice S. Harte Elementary School in the Algiers neighborhood of New Orleans for five years while he worked to established himself as an artist.
Now 37 years old, Osborne’s career is flourishing. His work appeared on the February 2012 cover of Country Roads, and he has been featured on covers for Where (New Orleans), Gambit Weekly and Xavier’s Gold Magazine.
Osborne has been described as a skilled colorist with a flair for expressive facial and hand gestures by D. Eric Bookhardt, a respected New Orleans art critic, who also noted, “Osborne is a genre painter, an interpreter of the world he knows. It’s a world of colorful neighborhoods with lots of character—and no shortage of colorful characters.”
Today he takes great pride in having been selected as the artist for the 2012 Jazz Fest poster. “It gives me great pleasure to know my art on the poster will be hung on walls around the world, and it motivates me to strive to be an even better artist than ever before.”
Osborne is definitely an artist to watch in the future—a future that seems limitless. Details. Details. Details. www.galleryosborne.com (504) 232-7530
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