Alex River Fete lets Alexandria artist meet new people, showcase art
Alexandria artist Erika E-LoVe, owner of For the LoVe of Alexandria, loves people. And community events like Alex River Fete give her an opportunity to meet new people, network and showcase her art and talent.
“I just love people, so it gives me the opportunity just to meet all kinds of people and see what everybody else has to offer,” said LoVe.
Events like this also give her a chance to let people know that she is from the local community, and that she supports other locals as well.
“I love to support locals. We support each other, so I love all of that. And you know, we that here in this community,” she said.
This was the first event where she drew caricatures from her tent in Indie Fete located near Tamp & Grind Coffee Shop on 4th Street. LoVe saw another artist at an event in Lafayette doing them and thought it was pretty cool, so she decided to do them here.
LoVe is a self-taught artist who has been drawing since she was three. But she admits her talent might be genetic.
“My mom and my dad, both of them, they know how to draw, too,” she said in her tent surrounded by paintings and other art pieces.
She also had some art instruction while studying at LSUA but for the most part, she says she’s mostly self-taught.
She's a part-time artist. LoVe works full-time with the U.S. Forest Service.
Her moods determine what she paints so she has different styles of painting.
“Some of the paintings you can see, ‘OK. She was in a good mood,’” she said pointing out a few in her booth. “Or you kind of wonder like what I was thinking. Like these last couple of paintings that I did.”
The description she gives of them is that "they're a spiritual-type. Exotic. Sexy.”
And she’s also getting into pop art. She shows a picture that she did of pop artist Andy Warhol.
"If you see, I did a picture of Andy Warhol. I did a combination of some of the different things that he painted,” she said.
Seh also painted a Mona Lisa painting she donated to the Central Louisianan AIDS Support Services (CLASS) last year that they sold.
“I did Mona Lisa kind of in drag,” she said, showing a framed print of the painting. “And I said, ‘Be your own masterpiece.’”
The message of this painting is simple.
“People shouldn’t judge you. You do whatever you want to do. Do what you love,” said LoVe. “And you know what I love about art? You can be free.”
Even though she has been painting since she was a child, it was during COVID where she started For the LoVe of Alexandria.
"When COVID happened and everything kind of shut down, I really just started getting back into it,” she said. "We were just all in the house, so I needed something to do. And so, this business was born out of the COVID era.”
She chose the name For the LoVe of Alexandria because of the many negative things she hears about the city.
“I was like, ‘Well, what if I could do something positive?’ And every time I do something, I just share ‘For the Love of Alexandria,’” said LoVe.
For the LoVe of Alexandria is located at 1434 E. Dorchester Drive right next to The Cottage Restaurant. It houses all her art and serves as an art gallery. It is also a selfie studio and where she operates a paint party business. She also paints for commission.
What LoVe said hasn’t really seen lately at local events are more Black artists like her. Even so, she’s wants to expose the citizens of Alexandria to art.
"More art because they have other artists here – great artists,” she said.
Check out the website ftloalexandria.com for more information.
This article originally appeared on Alexandria Town Talk: Love of people draws Alexandria artist to events like Alex River Fete
