Fly's Coffee House is Closing!!!

Good Afternoon Art Trailers,

I have some unfortunate news to report today. Fly's Coffee House on the Teche Trail is closing their doors in January. Below is what I've listed for the venue on the Trail in the book The Acadiana Art Trail. Be sure to go by before January to get your fill....we wish owners, Brad and Amanda Lefluer the best!!! 

Fly’s Coffee House

109 North Main St.

Breaux Bridge

Sitting in this lively, Cajun coffee house with Cajun/Zydeco music blaring on the radio in this cozy little town seems more peaceful than any chain coffee house filled with quietness and headphones. The conversation, the fiddler on the porch, the bird flying in to get a peak of all going on inside… What a beautiful 70 degree day for South LA in late April. A belly filled with Ms. Glenda’s lemon cake and raspberry ice tea-writing seems to come easy here. Enjoying the people, old and young alike…Smiles are on everyone’s faces as they are just as intrigued as I am by this place. Even the locals seem lost in its atmosphere. If everyday were like this one… Owned by Brad and Amanda Lefluer, formerly The Coffee Break, features local artists like Leroy’s Boys and art from St. Pierre’s Art Therapy Center in Lafayette, LA. Visit Fly’s Coffee House to just sit for a while and gaze. Ahhh…Bliss!!

Play!

They say that you must play....in order to stay balanced I mean. Get out of the office, the studio, your mundane routine and play! Today Troy and I decided to have a little play in 2 o'clock Bayou-a little fishing hole near our temporary home in Port Barre, LA. Troy fished here with his grandfather, his father and his brothers growing up.

It was so wonderful to let everything go with each cast. Casting it all into the swamp...It was a form of meditation if you will.

Below is a collage of our afternoon play date!!

New Gallery: The Glass Porch

There's a new gallery in town! That's right...The Glass Porch its called! Sitting very quaintly on the Coteau Trail in Grand Coteau, LA, this new venue is any Art Trailers delight! With glass art, sculpture, folk art and debris art, The Glass Porch Studio and Gallery bears names like Charla Guidry, Trish Ransom, Annie Hendrix and more...perfect for Christmas shopping as well. You won't want to miss this new gallery at 278 MLK Drive Grand Coteau, LA!

And remember...follow your art!!

Love,
The Art Trail Lady

William Sonnier's Very Recycled Work

A few weeks ago I raved to you about LA folk artists, Leeroy's Boys-Shine and William Sonnier....I went on and on about Shine and let you'd know I'd soon be posting about William. Well, time has gotten away from me and I'm finally going to to share with you a little about William.

I followed Shine over to William's "shop" in Breaux Bridge, LA thinking I was headed to an art studio. To my surprise, we were actually arriving at this quaint metal garage building in what you might call Breaux Bridge's "business district" (if there is such a thing in this small town). I quickly noticed that we were walking into a windshield repair shop. Hmmmm....this can't be right. Did Shine have an errand to run? No. This was William's studio.

Apparently William's "real job" is owning a windshield repair business. As I poked my head through the large metal doors I quickly realized that William Sonnier was truly an original! Windshield glass crumbled and organized into shapes and color, hubcaps redesigned to play out the scenes in William's head, pots and pans painted on both sides hanging throughout the building depicting images that are simple yet laughable......wow!!

I "collaged" some of the art you might find in William's repair shop/studio, but these photos don't do him justice. William's work tell stories about his life, about the lives of others in this small Cajun town like Joey, the local lawn boy. Each piece of work has a full story behind it. Some of them breathe deep sentimental value and others just make you laugh and smile.

William often shows in local galleries...one in particular, his cousin, Ed's gallery above the local coffee shop, Fly's. If you are ever in the Breaux Bridge area, I strongly recommend you request a visit with these local brothers. They are part of a dying breed....true self taught, Cajun, folk artists.

I will collage more photos throughout the next few days so that you can get a glimpse of more of their work.

To contact William and Shine Sonnier you can email Shine's wife at shinenjan@yahoo.com.

Until next time, follow your art!!!

Love, The Art Trail Lady

Girls Who Kick Glass and Much More!

Happy Hump Day Art Trailers!! I'm recovering from holiday overload, book signings and art festivals galore....as I'm sure you are as well!

I do want to remind all Acadiana Art Trailers about this December's Art Walk in dowtown Lafayette, LA. I'll be doing a book signing for The Acadiana Art Trail at Gallery Sans Souci and some of my favorite glass makers (Girls Who Kick Glass!) will be doing a showing at Gallery 549...much to see!!

Here is a link to an all inclusive list for the December Art Walk.
<a href="http://http://www.theind.com/arts-a-entertainment/86-aae/9491-artwalk-on-tap-saturday"></a>

Also, Troy and I will be participating in an signing and crafter's show at LeVillage in Eunice, LA this Sunday afternoon. We have some new art to show off! We'd love to see your beautiful faces!

That's all for today...more to come this week!

Follow Your Art!!

Love,
The Art Trail Lady

Le Feu et l'Eau Rural Arts Celebration is happening Dec. 3 at NuNu's in Arnaudville!

I was looking for the perfect words to tell you about the Le Feu et l'Eau Rural Arts Celebration when I stumbled on this article in the Independent. We will be there with a booth so please swing by!!

Le Feu et l'Eau Rural Arts Celebration is happening Dec. 3 at NuNu's in Arnaudville.

Starting at noon, this free arts festival showcases local artists through workshops, demonstrations and performances. There will be local art for sale for those who have holiday shopping to do. 

Le Feu et l'Eau (Fire and Water) happens at 1510 Bayou Courtableau Hwy at NuNu's. Participants can attend workshops on how to make jewelry, how to Irish folks dance, what blacksmiths do, poetry, drumming and more. A collaborative mural will be up from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. for artists to join.

The big event this year will be the burning ofFloodwall, an art installation created by Jana Napoli as a response to Hurricane Katrina. She collected 700 bureau drawers from across New Orleans and each was labeled with its neighborhood — Bywater, Carrollton, Ninth Ward, etc. — in an effort to visualize who and what was lost in the storm. Each drawer once held hurricane victims' prized possessions. It's been on display and, this Saturday, it's going to be set on fire.

"The act of burning the pieces is in itself an opportunity for people to experience a last aspect of the power of this work," says George Marks, founder of this festival. Napoli has been showing internationally and has won Oprah Winfrey's "Use Your Life" award and a President's Committee on Arts and Humanities award.

Musicians Cedric Watson, Delta Pappa and others will perform.

For more details and schedule of events, go to the official site or call 453-3307.

http://www.theind.com/arts-a-entertainment/86-aae/9452-le-feu-et-leau-in-arnaudville-this-weekend

A Photo Recap of the Weekends Booksignings

I am thankful for...

Leeroy's Boys-Shine Sonnier

Happy Thursday Art Trailers!! Its almost Friday and I know you're ready for the weekend because I sure am!! Hopefully today's post will be as inspiring to you as it was for me.

Last Thursday I mentioned that I had the wonderful opportunity to interview and visit with two folk artists brothers who paint under the name LeeRoy's Boys after their dad, LeeRoy Sonnier of Breaux Bridge, LA who loved horses and roosters. I had the privilege of meeting these self-taught artists, Shine and William Sonnier, while working on and releasing my new book, The Acadiana Art Trail.

LeeRoy Sonnier
by Shine

Shine first contacted me because he thought I may be interested in seeing his proud collection of folk art from his favorite artists like David Butler, Howard Fenster and R. A. Miller, but little did he know I was already familiar with his work and was more interested in interviewing "him".

Shine Sonnier

Getting Shine to talk about himself was somewhat of a challenge because this very humble artist is a folk art lover above all else. He is amazed with the creations of others and loves connecting with these ghost through their primitive, yet powerful passions.

Shine sharing with me some of his work...I enjoyed hearing the stories behind each piece!

Starting his work as an artist later in life in 2001, Shine paints under the name LeeRoy's Boy (singular) when he creates a piece of work without his brother, William. You may have run across some of his charming and whimsical pieces around Breaux Bridge, LA in places like Cafe Des Amis, Fly's Coffee House or the very private gallery overlooking the streets of Breaux Bridge owned by Ed Breaux. Or, maybe you've seen his work on a world famous Crawfish Festival Poster...

Crawfish Festival Poster
LeeRoy's Boys

Shine's style is very original, cutting out figures from recycled pieces of tin he's collected. Bandaids, he says, are his best friend!! Shine paints of stories from the past, friends, dogs, memories and other cultural icons indigenous to the Acadiana area. With Shine's work comes a double gift. Each painting is double sided...seeming to represent the yin and yang of all things.

What I loved most about my visit with Shine was his "bad ass" vintage workspace. Sorry for the cursing, but I have no other way to explain it. Its my dream studio....

 

Interviewing Shine was a great reminder that art has nothing to do with your educational, technique or skill level. It has nothing to do with the galleries one has shown in or the publications one has been featured in. It has nothing to do with the amount of money you sell your paintings for or the fact that you may be blessed to be a full time artist. Being with Shine reminded me that great art is about the imperfections of life that resonates in the soul and that my fellow art trailers is beautiful!

Next week, I'll tell you all about Shine's brother's work, William (can't wait!!). Stayed tuned and until next time....FOLLOW YOUR ART!!

LOVE,

THE ART TRAIL LADY

Port Barre Cracklin Festival!!

This past weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to attend my first ever Port Barre Cracklin Festival in Port Barre, LA. My boyfriend, Troy and I are living with his mother, Del, while we restore our vintage RV for traveling (that's a whole nother story). Anyway, Del is very involved with the Lion's club who puts on the Festival not to mention we live a few blocks away so needless to say we spent the weekend there. A little about the festival....

Begun in 1985, the Port Barre Cracklin Festival is the major fundraiser for the Port Barre Lions Club.  Attended by thousands of festival goes each year, it is a very important cultural event for the city of Port Barre and St. Landry Parish.

The festival contains all of the usual features found in many Southern Louisiana community festivals.  There is a Queen's Pageant with fifteen different age divisions, a parade down Main Street, carnival rides for all ages, live musical entertainment from local and regional artists, great food and drinks, and of course, the Cracklin Cook-Off.

The Cracklin Cook-Off is one of the highlights of each Cracklin Festival.  The Cook-Off is not only a test of cracklin cooking ability, but showmanship as well.  Divided into a Professional category for established restaurants and chefs, and an amateur category for people who just love to cook cracklins!  Prizes are awarded for both quality of cracklins, and booth presentation.

http://portbarrecracklinfestival.com/

Here are a few photos from our fun at the festival!!

A little taste of the food booths....

 Supposedly this pig booth has the best cracklin around....

 Artists create their version of pig art!!

 T-shirts are plentiful!

 Del working the beer ticket booth!

Troy's Niece, Lola and I enjoy the bumper cars!!

Follow Your Art!!

Love,

The Art Trail Lady

New in My Shop

Good Morning Art Trailers!!

I have a few new items in my ETSY shop I want to share with you guys. All paintings are mine and woodworking and copper are Troy's. We've been busy bees!!

You'll find some great items for Christmas if you've started shopping....something for everything-women, men, small and large.

Here is the link to the Art Trail Lady Etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/ArtTrailLady?ref=si_shop.

Here are a few pics of what you'll find...