Mike Weary’s painting “American Nomads” is like a game of I Spy, with hidden symbols and messages thoughtfully sprinkled throughout.
The 55-by-34-inch oil and iron painting on wood sheds light on Louisiana culture and history, poverty, redlining, wealth inequality and cultural appropriation. It’s literally and figuratively a layered piece depicting a Black brother and sister standing in front of a New Orleans home with skyscrapers, billion-dollar businesses and a mantra of “laissez les bon temps rouler” towering in the background.
Weary calls this 2024 work a modernized spin on Grant Wood’s 1930 painting “American Gothic.” And this Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge artist-in-residence’s thought-provoking symbolism takes portraiture to new heights.
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“The story I would like to tell for this piece is about a brother and sister who own the family home behind them,” Weary explains. “They help people get rest and food by opening their home to the community. That’s what it’s about. What are you contributing to the overall neighborhood?”
The piece began with a photo Weary captured of a brother and sister he met in downtown Baton Rouge and then painted in front of a New Orleans-inspired background. The siblings’ skin is being swallowed up with a turquoise and blue layer.
Weary typically uses oil paint, iron, copper, charcoal and acrylic paint to create his works on wooden panels.
“I use rust and copper as a metaphor for the decay of people. It’s like my gothic theme. They are products of their environment. You walk around Louisiana. You see it. Everything is rusted. In the painting, people are in the back celebrating while people are suffering,” he says.
“Black Americans have a very powerful and unique story in human history. And that's inspirational because it has so many glimmers of hope. There is always something to paint. There's always something to draw from. I never find myself empty-headed when it comes to inspiration.”
[Mike Weary]
As a Crescent City native, the self-taught artist is often inspired by his hometown, his surroundings and the issues Black people face in the U.S.
This work is part of a series he is developing to discuss the lack of access to affordable and fair housing, education, healthcare, criminal justice and economics.
To illustrate the subject of housing, “American Nomads” takes the viewer to Weary’s grandmother’s house on Flood Street in New Orleans, where she would help family members who needed a meal or place to stay.
The man in the painting has a plane ticket from New Orleans to Houston in the front pocket of his suit jacket.
This hints at where the 36-year-old artist evacuated in his senior year of high school after Hurricane Katrina, which displaced 1.5 million people.
These are the types of issues that keep him up at night, Weary says.
But his lucid dreams are fuel to create paintings that capture emotions, rich colors and relatable muses.
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In a fast-paced age, Weary’s work locks in the viewer’s gaze, encouraging them to uncover the stories inscribed into the painting.
He documents the African American experience—and depicts everyday people of color as works of art themselves. Find more info at mikewearyart.com.
Send suggestions for 225′s Artist’s Perspective series to [email protected].
This article was originally published in the August 2024 issue of 225 Magazine.