Tag Archives: dog

Southern Vegan Artist: Party of One?

"Food or Pet? How Do You Decide?" by Amy Guidry; Acrylic on canvas; 40"w x 30"h; Sold; (c) Amy Guidry 2016
“Food or Pet? How Do You Decide?” by Amy Guidry; Acrylic on canvas; 40″w x 30″h; Sold; (c) Amy Guidry 2016

I’m a vegan artist living in “Sportsman’s Paradise.”  For those that don’t know, that would be Louisiana.  Not exactly a pleasant state nickname if you are a vegan.  Nevertheless, I’ve managed to live a vegan lifestyle here and have even made a niche for myself as an artist.  And I actually like living here… though I could do without the humidity.  So how is this possible, you may ask.

For starters, being a vegan, environmental artist is no harder than any other artist.  Art is supposed to make a statement, and it’s not going to be something everyone necessarily agrees with.  So the fact that my work is influenced by my personal beliefs, is not any different than any other artist creating work about what matters most to them.  And galleries are choosy about what they show regardless, so again, it doesn’t matter if you’re a vegan artist or not.

Louisiana is known for it’s food, unfortunately none of that involves tofu.  Yet.  So, yes, that is bothersome for me, but it doesn’t stop me from living here.  If anything, it just gives me more reason to keep doing what I do.  Add to that the BP oil spill, hurricanes, and wetland loss, I have even more reason to be here and speak up for our animals and our environment.

I have met some resistance, but I don’t know any vegan that hasn’t, so I wouldn’t say that’s exclusive to Louisiana.  Usually it comes from older family members that have no filter.  A lot of people seem to be coming around, while others tolerate it but don’t understand it.  I’ve been a vegan for 17 years now and have seen a definite shift in the mindset of the general population.  For starters, most people now know how to correctly pronounce vegan and might know someone that is.  A lot are open to at least trying vegan recipes.  (Everyone loves my dinner parties!)  And some are starting to become aware of the huge environmental impact that factory farming has on our planet.

Overall, I’ve had a very positive response to my art, both in and outside of Louisiana, which is promising for many reasons.  I would love to see more vegans here, but I’m sure a lot of people would say the same about where they live, too.  In the meantime, I’m going to keep doing what I do.  With every painting, I have another opportunity to reach out to the world, and inspire them to do more for animals and the planet.  And on that note, it’s time to get back to the studio.


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TBT

Progress photo of "Food or Pet? How Do You Decide?" by Amy Guidry; Acrylic on canvas; 40"w x 30"h; SOLD; (c) Amy Guidry 2014
Progress photo of “Food or Pet? How Do You Decide?” by Amy Guidry; Acrylic on canvas; 40″w x 30″h; SOLD; (c) Amy Guidry 2014

Throwback Thursday TBT:

Back when I was working on “Food or Pet? How Do You Decide?”  This is before I had a studio and would work with my canvas propped up on a stool in the living room, sitting on the floor, with paints in a tackle box next to me.  This painting has sold, but view more from this series here: http://amyguidry.com/anti-aging.html.

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Forgot to Mention…

"Food or Pet? How Do You Decide" by Amy Guidry, Feast postcard invitation

I’m excited to announce that in addition to the upcoming exhibition at Wally Workman Gallery, my painting “Food or Pet? How Do You Decide?” has been selected for the show invitation! So if you happen to be on the gallery mailing list, be on the lookout. As a reminder, “Feast” opens on December 5th from 6-8pm at Wally Workman Gallery in Austin, TX.

Two Exhibits, One Day

“Food or Pet? How Do You Decide?” by Amy Guidry; SOLD; (C) Amy Guidry 2009

I’m going out with a bang this year… just when I thought it was calming down. Ha! I will have work in two upcoming exhibits- the opening reception for both is on the same night.  First, I am one of the invited artists in the Wally Workman Gallery exhibition, “Feast.” The title of the show does not necessarily pertain to food, so feast is open to interpretation. There is a preview of the show on December 3rd, from 6-8pm as part of their First Thursday Artwalk. The actual opening reception will be December 5th, from 6-8pm. In addition, they are hosting FINE FOOD ART NIGHT on December 10th 6-8pm. Edible Austin magazine will also be there for an evening of fine food and fine art. Local food tastings provided by the Austin chapter of Les Dames de Escoffier and local catering companies will be creating their culinary interpretations of pieces from the show. A portion of the proceeds will go to Urban Roots, a youth development program that uses sustainable agriculture as a means to transform the lives of young people and to increase the access of healthy food in Austin.

In addition, I will be participating in an art auction during Le Feu et l’Eau Rural Arts Celebration. Also known as the Fire and Water Festival. The Fire and Water Festival has a “warmup” event on December 4th from 7-11pm. The schedule has not been announced yet, but I can tell you it will most certainly involve lots of live music and lots of food. The actual event and auction will take place on December 5th from 11am-11pm.

So if you’ll be in Austin, TX, be sure to check out Wally Workman’s exhibit. And if you’e in Arnaudville, LA, check out the Fire and Water Festival. And if you’re able to teleport, do both. And if you can’t make it to either one, there’s always www.AmyGuidry.com