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
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