New Orleans en Plein Air
In New Orleans en Plein Air, local artist Phil Sandusky presents 150 paintings that he created from 1987 to 2002 in the Crescent City. His subjects range from landscapes, street scenes, and architectural studies to the occasional figure study. This collection is more than a tourist's souvenir of historic architecture and picturesque cemeteries. While Mr. Sandusky does celebrate the city's seductive beauty, including its gracious mansions and verdant oaks, he also portrays its urban side, from dilapidated storefronts to rusting autos. His creative eye has focused on many neighborhoods of this historic city, including Uptown and Audubon Park, the Central Business District, Lakeview, and City Park, as well as the more well-known Garden District and French Quarter.    Phil Sandusky, an art instructor as well as a painter, also includes his thoughts about the artistic process--including the special challenges of painting outdoors. New Orleans en Plein Air includes a foreword by M. Stephen Doherty, editor in chief of American Artist magazine. Phil Sandusky was born in Florida in 1957. He showed an early aptitude for art and began painting lessons at age seven. By age sixteen, he was ready for formal training with painter Cleve Miller. While earning a bachelor's degree in physics from Jacksonville University, he also studied at the Art Student's League in New York and in Madison, Connecticut, with Robert Brackman. Mr. Sandusky was employed as an engineer by Schlumberger Well Services from 1980 until his retirement from the oil industry in 1991. That job brought him to New Orleans in 1984 and he fell in love with the city. Mr. Sandusky now paints full time and teaches at  the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts. He is represented by Cole Pratt Gallery in New Orleans and by the Reinike Gallery in Atlanta.  For more of Pelican's books about art and collectibles, please visit our Web site: www.pelicanpub.com.