Painting Rhythms

Lafayette artist Dirk Guidry is driven by what he describes as the “dynamic circulation of energy.” You can see it in his mesmorizing free-flowing bright colors and bold brushstrokes. His portraits and paintings of performing Cajun musicians and the instruments they play radiate the energy of their music, and his murals capture nostalgic moments in Acadian life. As he says, that energy is the “fuel for my creative process.”

Whether Guidry is painting portraits or scenes from a Cajun music festival, the electric fluidity of his style reflects his stated interest in Abstract Expressionism, an art movement born in the United States after World War II. Though this may be his preferred style, his brushes morph easily from abstract imagery into recognizable figures, especially in his series depicting hard-jamming musicians blasting out chords and songs at the Festival International de Louisiane in Lafayette. The same is true for his paintings of the musical instruments they play. Anyone who knows anything about Cajun and zydeco music can almost hear the rhythms vibrating from his canvases, which is appropriate since he always has music playing in the background while he paints.

“I’m not sure if I can paint without music,” he says. “Music is always playing in my studio, and the type of music really depends on the day. I mostly stick to rock, althernative, progressive, sometimes heavy, but I will also listen to folk or instrumental if the mood is right. For Festival International, I make a playlist once the lineup is announced and play that on shuffle while I do each year’s series.”

When not painting musicians or abstract images, Guidry is known for the commissioned murals in private homes and on commercial buildings in the area. Most are pure notalgia, reflecting some aspect of life in Acadiana. For instance, his mural “100 Years of Baking: Evangeline Maid Centennial,” painted on the side of the Evangeline Maid Bakery on West Sincoe Street in Lafayette, celebrates this long-time Cajun food staple. Another mural, “Bayou Sunset,” located at the Wyndham Garden, on West Pinhook Road, has all one might expect from such a title — shrimp boats, crawfish, seafood and a warm setting sun reflected in a South Louisiana bayou. It has somewhat of a Van Gogh feeling to it. Others include “Crawssing the Vermilion” on the University of Louisiana at Lafayette campus, and “Deep-Rooted” on Cypress Street, a project funded by the Lafayette Economic Development Authority and Acadiana Center for the Arts.

“Murals are fun to paint,” says Guidry, whose studio is located in Basin Arts, an arts’ incubator in downtown Lafayette. “I’ve always leaned towards larger works of art that require using my entire body rather that just the fingertips with small scale works. I also love murals because of how they can transform any location that they are placed in. Murals help beautify communities.”

Born in Raceland, Louisiana, but grew up “down the bayou” in Galliano, Guidry’s art has brought him growing recognition since graduating from the University of Louisiana in 2012 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Painting. His work has appeared in dozens of solo and group shows and he now serves as a member of the Louisiana Arts Council. He’s also the Festival International de Louisiane’s official visual artist. Gratitude comes with that success.

“I realize how fortunate I am to be a working artist,” he says, thanking his mother Kim Guidry for encouraging his art as a child. “I am grateful every day for it. The journey with my art has been beautiful, and I am excited to see where it goes from here.”

But most important, says Guidry, “I’m always pushing myself to create new and exciting art.”

There again is that “dynamic circulation of energy.”

MEET THE ARTIST

Illustration by S.E. George

Dirk Guidry

Born
1987, Raceland, Louisiana
Residence
Lafayette
Inspiration
Abstract Expressionism
Medium
Canvas Paintings and Murals
Favorite Imagery
Abstraction, Portraits, Cajun & Zydeco Musicians, Acadiana Culture
Web
dirkguidry.com