"Art is in the Eye of the Beholder"

WEEK 9

"Creativity takes courage." 

~ Henri Matisse ~

Southwest Louisiana is known for its delicious foods, great hunting and fishing, and beautiful outdoor sights and sounds.

Southwest Louisiana is also home to some great artist. There are a wide range of art mediums being used, such as photography, oil, water, & acrylic painting, pencil and ink drawings, pottery, quilting, and many other types of craftsmanship.

ART is defined as the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.

There are many forms and styles of art found in and around southwest Louisiana. Some say that art is in the eye of the beholder, so whatever we think of as being beautiful or that evokes an emotion can be art.

It wasn't until recently that I realized that my great-grandfather was a true artist. 

Pierre Savoie was born on August 7th, 1898, in Creole, Louisiana. I always thought it was cool that I met and knew someone born in the 19th century. 

Pierre's first language was French. Pierre never went to school but he was an educated man. While my grandmother and her sisters and brother were learning in school, they would come home to do their homework and Pierre would learn with them.

Pierre could not read and write but he managed to work for Mobil Oil Inc. as a boatman until he retired in the 1960's.

Pierre grew up in a time when he, his brothers, sisters and many other cajuns were punished for their Cajun-French heritage. The children were punished for speaking French in school. In a way this was a form of cultural Genocide for the Cajun people in Louisiana.

Pierre grew up living off the land, he always had fruit and vegetable gardens and he hunted and fished to survive. These activities were not for "sport" and entertainment but to put food on the table to support his family.

Pierre was born the year of the Spanish-American War (1898), and he lived during World War I (1914-1918), World War II (1939-1945), Korean War (1950-1953), Vietnam (1955 - 1975), the Great Depression (1929-1939), and he survived two Hurricanes (Storm of 1918 and Hurricane Audrey in 1957).

After Pierre retired from the oilfield he took up a hobby. He started hand carving wooden duck and goose decoys.

Pierre would comb Holly Beach and Rutherford Beach picking up driftwood. He would take this driftwood home and carve it into the most beautiful ducks and geese imaginable. 

Lake Charles American Press story by Ms. Genevea Griffith

Lake Charles American Press photo of Pierre Savoie carving a decoy with a hatchet.

Pierre would carve tiny ducks 2-3 inches all the way up to goose decoys 1-2 foot tall.

Over his lifetime Pierre probably carved several thousand birds. Pierre gave away most of his carvings, he never charged a dime for them. There are probably dozens and dozens of people around south Louisiana who have a Pierre Savoie carving in their house.

Goose carving by Pierre Savoie

Pierre Savoie and his goose carving.

I remember when i was a boy i would go into his shop, an old airstream looking trailer, and explore around. He had all types of carving knives and files. 

What I remember the most about his shop was the smell. It had a mixture of different wood smells. The most prevalent was the odor of cedar, but he also used cypress and tupelo wood. There was mounds of wood shavings all around his shop.

Pierre carved decoys until he was in his early 80's. The most amazing thing about Pierre was he did most of his carving while legally blind. He had a glass eye and could barely see out of the other one but he continued to carve and whittle his birds.

Pierre Savoie's Weathered and Aged hands carving a miniature duck decoy.

As I sit here each day and I look at the decoys on my shelf, I see the work of a true artist. Someone self taught, with no formal training or education.

I have been to Paris, France where I saw the Mona Lisa in the Louvre Museum, and I have seen Faberge Eggs in the New Orleans Museum of Art. I have seen many priceless works of art in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Smithsonian Museums in DC. 

I can say without a doubt, all the these art pieces are no match for Pierre Savoie's hand carvings.

Art truly is in the eye of the beholder and to me, my Grandpa Pierre's carvings will always be priceless....

Pierre Savoie 

(AUGUST 7, 1898 - OCTOBER 29, 1987)

Until next time.

More Tales from the Unemployment Line.