Lionel Milton Unveils His Official Voodoo Fest 2004 Artwork

September 25, 2004 -- Lionel Milton recently unveiled "Soul Sister in City Park," the official poster for the sixth annual Voodoo Music Festival. Milton has created a Voodoo Fest poster every year since the festival began in 1998, and each year his posters become the face of the festival. The sixth annual Voodoo Music Festival will take place on October 16-17, 2004 in New Orleans' City Park. Milton will have a booth on-site where he will sign original works, and display gallery pieces as well as his new line of merchandise.

Milton's art is vibrant and dynamic with bold colors, dancing contrasts and heavy lines. His chief influence is music, which along with his street-savvy, graffiti-influenced style is the primary reason he was chosen to produce the poster for Voodoo Fest. His artwork embodies the festival's dictum, "Worship the Music."

Milton's roots are in the 9th Ward, the same New Orleans neighborhood where Voodoo Music Fest producer, Steven Rehage, hails. In fact, it was this shared background that led to Milton's exclusive production agreement.

Milton, or ‘Elle' as he is more commonly known, is a street-wise, self taught artist who draws many similarities between his form of expression and hip-hop artists who express themselves through music. "I don't see what I do as any different than what [they are doing," says Milton. "We have these things inside of us, and they've got to get out. The only difference is the medium—a record or a canvas."

Milton's inspiration this year reflects the spirit of New Orleans. He paints a soul sister strumming her guitar in New Orleans' City Park, using signature elements of New Orleans as the background to showcase the progression of the Crescent City.

"It's a way to show spiritual calmness in the mist of chaos," says Milton. "That's how I feel about the Fest. It's crazy but laid back."

The lineup for the Voodoo Music Fest features performers that complement the inspiration for Milton's artwork. This year's featured performers include the Beastie Boys, De La Soul, the Pixies, Polyphonic Spree, Kid Rock and many more.

For more information regarding Lionel Milton or to schedule an interview, contact Blake Killian at (504) 339-4090, or bkillian@voodooventures.com. You may also visit Milton's Web site at www.elleone.com

About the Artist                                Lionel Milton has always known he would be an artist. He can recall drawing at the age of five, and as he grew, his artistic abilities grew with him. During his teenage years, Milton began to consider being an artist for a living. He was chosen to participate in an exchange program while he was in high school in which he traveled Europe honing his craft and experiencing other cultures.

His big break came when his artwork was spotted by producers of the MTV reality series, The Real World. They were preparing to film the New Orleans season, and selected several of his paintings to hang in the house. MTV approached Milton again in 2002 to include his work in P. Diddy's house on Making the Band. Milton's work has been visible on MTV for the past five years.





This article courtesy of http://www.thepostertrader.com.
You may freely reprint this article on your website or in
your newsletter provided this courtesy notice and the author
name and URL remain intact.

Submit Your Article