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Lockport folk artist Hank Holland is a presence in more than 100 countries around the world.
“I am alive in each of my paintings,” Holland said. “There is a piece of me in 107 countries I have never been to physically. A friend of mine went to Spain on his honeymoon, and one of my paintings was hanging in a restaurant there. He called me up and said, ‘I’ll be darned.’”
“When people look at my art, I want them to say, ‘Look at the life in that painting.’”
Holland, a native and resident of Lockport, began painting in 2008, a year after his artist mother Jane Holland passed away. In the last five years, the self-taught artist has painted more than 8,500 works. His paintings can be found in homes and businesses in each of the 50 states, as well as the New Orleans Saints home office and the Private Vatican Collection in Italy
The painter recently received his first poster commission and was thrilled the assignment came from his home parish. The work, commissioned by Lafourche Parish, focuses on the festivals hosted throughout the parish. It will hang in the Mathews Government Complex.
“I met with some people from the parish government and told them my ideas,” Holland said. “There are inspirations all over Lafourche as you drive through the parish. Lafourche is such a celebration of people, a rich culture and life.
“In my work, I do a lot of juke joint art, and the Bayou Playhouse represents a place for people to hang out along the bayou. I also focused on the shape of the parish and how Highway 1 follows Bayou Lafourche.”
The piece, titled “Lafourche, A Celebration of Life,” was unveiled Saturday at Lafourche Central Market. Posters are available at the Mathews Government Complex while supplies last. The artwork took Holland a month to complete.
Much of Holland’s work is inspired by his life along the bayou and his mother’s paintings of traditional Cajun scenes. The artist also focuses on religious themes and even tree houses. “Lafourche, A Celebration of Life” is filled with vibrant colors, and each town in the parish is represented in his depiction. For instance, each boat tied up at the Bayou Playhouse bears the name of one of the parish’s many festivals.
“Lafourche is really just one big community,” Holland said. “It starts in Thibodaux and goes all the way down the bayou. You don’t need a phone. You can just holler at your neighbors because they are so close. It’s probably one of my favorite pieces I have ever done.
“I like to spice it up with color. I want my art to stand out.”
“Hank captured the parish in his unique style,” said Lafourche Parish President Charlotte Randolph in a printed statement. “His painting represents ‘la bon vie’ of living in Lafourche.”
Holland, who was born with cerebral palsy, hopes his unique works of art will inspire others with disabilities to follow their passions no matter their limitations.
“I want to show people with disabilities that they can do something,” he said. “Don’t give up. That, to me, is pretty humbling.”
The painter has certainly done something in his life. A patron from Covington paid $6,500 for one of his larger works, a three panel beach scene, and Holland was the first artist commissioned to marry Louisiana’s two professional sports teams, the Saints and the Pelicans, in a piece for the teams’ home office. Holland has also traveled as far as Oregon for an art show where 20 of his works were on display.
The painter, a former environmental management specialist, now paints for a living and also owns a merchandising company and non-profit Nola Love. Holland and his wife Maria also teach art classes for children with disabilities, and the couple founded the Hank Holland Foundation for the Arts Scholarship program.
“I like the freedom of painting,” Holland said. “I have a blank canvas that I can do whatever I want with it, and it will be around long after I will. An artist never dies.”
Holland, 40, is usually working on three or four different pieces at a time, and a painting usually takes him about two and half weeks to finish. His studio, named Baby Jane Studio after his mother, is located in Lockport.
If you think you spot one of Holland’s works while traveling abroad, check his one-of-a-kind signature on the work to be sure.
“I’m the only artist to sign their name upside down,” Holland said. “I’ve done extensive research and haven’t found another artist who signs their name upside down. I’m different, so my signature should be different.
“I’m not a follower. I took the wide road and made my own path. Being disabled and different from everyone else, my work needs to be different.”
Lockport folk artist Hank Holland has painted more than 8,500 works, and his paintings can be found in 107 different countries, including at the Private Vatican Collection in Italy. He recently painted this poster for Lafourche Parish, and the painting will hang in the Mathews Government Complex.
