New Year’s Eve at The Dew Drop-Irma Thomas -Original
The Dew Drop Inn, at 2836 LaSalle Street, in New Orleans, Louisiana, was a former hotel and nightclub that operated between 1939 and 1970, and is noted as "the most important and influential club" in the development of rhythm and blues music in the city in the post-war period. The venue primarily served the African-American population in the then heavily segregated Southern United States. After having read books and watched movies about how scary it was for black performers I can understand why the Dew Drop was important. They came and performed where they could feel safe and welcomed.
I truly am not sure if Irma Thomas ever performed there when she was younger but she must have and they have refurbished the historic spot so it seemed like I should add that sign. I was listening to her music while working on this over 9 months and I am always moved by the silky rich texture of her voice. She instantly has me feeling exuberant or melancholy when I listen to her sing depending on the song. I had “Anyone Who Knows What Love Is” on repeat for a large majority of this and so that’s how the blue sound wave came about. That fringe dress is everything and I imagined she was dressed for New Year’s Eve at the Dew Drop Inn and so a sparkler seemed like a natural add. This is acrylic on canvas original and is framed so the painting is protected. It measures 23"x 23" x 3".