The team began with the life and talent merger of Gregory Morris and Susan Haven-Morris . Gregory , a BBQ-obsessed southerner , and Susan , a flower-obsessed northerner , have kind of a Romeo-and-Juliet dynamic . Now add in two amazing and talented kids , Greyson , the family “ anything guy ,” and daughter Tatham , a speed demon in paint finishing and a spreadsheet master , and what do you have ? A perfect example of what happens when people follow their dreams and are supported by the ones they love and love them . This dream team all started in North Carolina as a happy accident , taking shape during the preservation and renovation of an 1880 ’ s farmhouse . The power couple wouldn ’ t let the lumber pulled from the farmhouse go to waste , and combined southern charm and signage to create the business Slippin ’ Southern in 2011 . After years of practice , the company ’ s success took them to New Orleans . Signs the shapes of whales , pigs , and other animals found their way to NOLA . There the couple also saw an abundance of reclaimed wood options to fuel their creative fires .
If you think the story is inspiring , just step into the gallery . You ’ ll be consumed by creative energy and become inspired to run home and make something . I know I was . Susan ’ s fine art figural wood assemblages titled “ Population ” are figures made from reclaimed wood from various New Orleans buildings and have been left unfinished to show the striking colors of the 100 + years of aging .
They float , magically mounted by two pins , over a white textural background . Presented in the gallery ’ s front window , it ’ s the main reason I stepped foot into this oasis for your brain . A sense of calm takes over and you become immersed in what it feels like to allow an artist and a craftsman to impress you . Susan also creates larger , free-standing human forms made from reclaimed wood and partially dipped in acrylic
M . S . Rau paint . These can find a happy place in any corner of your home .
20 | The French Quarterly
M . S . Rau
I was specifically drawn the one painting series titled “ Coming Home ,” inspired by the couple ’ s return to New Orleans after Hurricane Ida . The morning light highlights the Superdome and the city , and the dark night sky moves