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