New Acadian Village Chapel Reflection Painting
Artist Bryan Theriot with his painting of the Chapel at Acadian Village.
Since I was a child Acadian Village was a rallying point for all things Cajun. The famous Cajun artist Floyd Sonnier was often present alongside other real Cajun historians and artists who fought the good fight to insure a Cajun heritage could be passed on to my generation. Unfortunately my generation did not do such a good job is assuring that heritage would be passed on to future generations.
The religion of our ancestors was the reason they were persecuted and the reason that they survived. The Chapel is the subject of this painting along with the environment. To me the landscape and animals of Acadiana are both essential parts of the heritage. I wanted to create a piece that shows the Village as I sa it as a child. It was a place where I saw Cajuns fighting to keep something important to us alive. The small bayou was full of frogs and turtles. The houses were the places of our ancestors and the story of our true history was told weekly.