This is "Gentle Investiture", a painting that I did in New Orleans only a couple of months before Hurricane Katrina struck. Eleven days after Katrina devastated New Orleans, I was evacuated (along with the two dogs I rescued, Bill and Rico, as well as the neighbors I assisted) to Knoxville, Tennessee. I had to leave this painting and several dozen other works behind, not knowing if I would ever see them again.

We were in Knoxville for another month and a half (during which Hurricane Rita battered the already stricken city...) before we could go back down to our old neighborhood 9 blocks north of the French Quarter.

To my eternal gratitude, and although some paintings were destroyed or blown away or washed away, the majority of my artwork had survived, albeit lightly covered in the mold that had overtaken the city, thanks to the sturdiness of the materials I employed in their making (oils and acrylics on wood and tile and brick and stone). After thouroughly disinfecting and cleaning the art, and then repairing it and refurbishing it, I am honored to present my paintings as truly historical pieces of art.

"Gentle Investiture" and my other works, both past and present, can be viewed and purchased on my website:

www.hallahart.com

Though I have given away and donated or sold many of these once-lost paintings I am currently in the process of arranging exhibitions featuring as many of these pieces as possible. Their story is unique, and their survival is a testament not only to one soul's artistic journey, but also to the endurance of love and beauty in a world of chaos and destruction.