The inspiration for this piece, “Resurrection,” came to Phil while he was working on a different project. That work, which included a pair of fleur de lis paintings, triggered a vision in his mind that he quickly transferred to canvas.

He saw a shadow of a noble, majestic, fleur de lis rising from the calm waters of Lake Pontchartrain surrounded by the glorious, vibrant hues of a Louisiana sunset. In contrast, he poised another shadow of a fleur de lis in the murky waters below, giving it an ominous edge – a subtle reminder of the ravage of Hurricane Katrina.

The image he envisioned was sudden and striking, but also soft and soothing, and he rushed to get it out of his mind’s eye and onto the canvas. “I felt this sense of urgency,” he said. “I just knew I couldn’t wait to create this later; it was important to do it right now. It was something so strong that came rising up from within me, and I just had to stop what I was doing and create it.”

The fleur de lis has long been associated with New Orleans, and in post-Katrina times it has become an icon symbolizing hope and restoration for the widespread area heavily affected by the storm that ranged from southeast Louisiana, across the Mississippi Gulf Coast, past lower Alabama and stretched to the Florida Panhandle.

This painting, sure to touch the hearts of many, shares a little piece of each of us who were affected by the hurricane. It is a prominent symbol of hope in desperate times. It is an affirmation that, amidst the trials and the tears, we will survive and truly resurrect our hearts, our minds, and the spirit of the land we know so well, our beloved Louisiana.