What a Wonderful Universe - Original
I worked on this beauty of Mr. Louis Armstrong for 3 1/2 years. Roughly over 2500 hours of work probably several more than that but just an estimate. If you have seen it in person the care and attention to detail is evident. From the shine of his trumpet & twinkle in his eye to the twinkle in the sky & inlays on the hand made/hand stained frame. We are all interconnected and have bits of stardust in the very fiber of our beings. His velvet jacket is metallic violet and changes as you move past the painting. I did the inlays in the frame so that the stars in the sky sparkle when the light hits it just right just like when you are gazing up at the stars in the sky. This piece measures 26" x 32" x 3"
PRINTS ARE AVAILABLE OF THIS ITEM CLICK HERE What a Wonderful Universe - Louis Armstrong - Print
Song Trails - Original
I worked on this beauty of Mr. Allen Toussaint for 2 1/2 years. Roughly over 2500 hours of work probably several more than that but just an estimate. If you have seen it in person the care and attention to detail is evident. From the twinkle in his eye to the twinkle in the sky & inlays on the hand made/hand stained frame. I was glad I had added his rolls royce when I was at the concert honoring him at Tips in November 2022 and they had his license plate displayed on the piano. If you know, you know. This portrait is an oil on canvas that I had a vision for while out on a run one morning. I had completed three others in this series and the idea of his songs traveling across the world while he stood still came to me. We are all interconnected and have bits of stardust in the very fiber of our beings. The pink in the background glows in the dark and the largest stars in the sky do as well. His sequined jacket is metallic violet and blue changing as you move past the painting. I did the inlays in the frame so that the stars in the sky sparkle when the light hits it just right just like when you are gazing up at the stars in the sky. This piece measures 34" x 43.5" x 3"
All Stars- James Booker - Original
All Stars is my portrait of James Booker. He is the second in my series inspired by the online streaming of "live" music we all experienced during the pandemic. If you have seen it in person the care and attention to detail is evident. From the detail in his shoe to the twinkle in the sky & inlays on the hand made/hand stained frame. This portrait is the oil on canvas original that slowly evolved as I worked on it. We are all interconnected and have bits of stardust in the very fiber of our beings. The milky way in the background glows in the dark and the largest stars in the sky do as well. I did the inlays in the frame so that the stars in the sky sparkle when the light hits it just right just like when you are gazing up at the stars in the sky. This piece measures 21.5" x 28" x 3" framed.
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BAM - Original
BAM is my portrait of Professor Longhair. He is the third in my series inspired by the online streaming of "live" music we all experienced during the pandemic. If you have seen it in person the care and attention to detail is evident. From the detail in his signature glasses, to his magic hands & the inlays on the hand made/hand stained frame. This portrait is the oil on canvas original that slowly evolved as I worked on it. We are all interconnected and have bits of stardust in the very fiber of our beings. The hot pink in the background glows in the dark and the largest stars in the sky do as well. I did the inlays in the frame so that the stars in the sky sparkle when the light hits it just right just like when you are gazing up at the stars in the sky. This piece measures 28" x 21.5" x 3" framed.
Podnuhs - Original
Podnuhs is my portrait of Dr. John. He was the first in my series inspired by the online streaming of "live" music we all experienced during the pandemic. The "smoke" in the background represents the music traveling through space and time. If you have seen it in person the care and attention to detail is evident. This portrait is the oil on canvas original that slowly evolved as I worked on it. We are all interconnected and have bits of stardust in the very fiber of our beings. The stars and smoke in the background glow in the dark and the largest stars in the sky do as well. I did the inlays in the frame so that the stars in the sky sparkle when the light hits it just right just like when you are gazing up at the stars in the sky. This framed piece measures 23" x 23" x 3". This original painting is currently in a show at Merchant House that goes until December.
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Vincent Accordions
I grew up in Lake Arthur Louisiana and now live in a small community called Ardoin Cove in (Welsh Louisiana). I'm a husband, a father of three, an accordion builder, and a proud cajun!
I decided I wanted to learn how to play the accordion in 2007, after acquiring my first accordion, a Hohner HA-114, I realized it didn't sound quite like the accordions of most of the cajun music I was used to listening to. After a phone call to Mr. Larry Miller of Iota, builder of "Bon Cajun" Accordions, formally "Bon Tee Cajun" Accordions, Larry told me to bring it over and he would re-tune it dry ("Cajun Tuned"). After seeing the internal and external workings of my accordion and some of Mr. Miller's accordions he had in his shop, I was extremely intrigued and thought it would be awesome to make an accordion one day.
Seven years later the thought still in my head, I met with my wife's uncle Ervin Lejeune multiple times, accordion builder of "Professional" brand accordions. He gave me a copy of all his patterns and explained how he made most of those pieces.
About a year later I started an apprenticeship with Larry Miller for 2 years almost every Saturday. It's because of them and a few other local builders I have become friends with since that I've been able to learn the meticulous craft of accordion building and I now build accordions under the brand name "VINCENT ACCORDIONS" and will one day hope to pass this craft down to at least one or more of my kids or anyone wanting to learn.
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Michot Accordions
Growing up in Pilette, Louisiana, between Broussard and Lafayette, Andre Michot was immersed in south Louisiana music from birth.
He played a weekly gig on guitar with his dad, Tommy Michot, on accordion and eventually joined Les Frères Michot—the band his father and uncles formed in the 1980’s. He also frequented Tabby’s Blues Box as a teenager, playing along with greats like Raful Neal, Phil Guy, Larry Garner and others.
After a decade of playing, Andre and his brother Louis took on the lead instruments—accordion and fiddle—and picked up the torch as the next generation in the evolution of their musical heritage.
In 1999 they formed Lost Bayou Ramblers and began to play around south Louisiana and eventually all over the United States and abroad. In 2018 the band won a Grammy Award for Best Regional Roots Music Album for their album “Kalenda”.
In addition to his success as a musician, Andre is also an accomplished woodworker and accordion builder. In 2006, with encouragement from friend and mentor Ray Abshire, he began learning first to tune in the old style then eventually to build accordions from master builder Randy Falcon.
Over the years, Andre has developed a keen understanding of how the accordion should sound and perform. He enjoys the entire construction process, from choosing the right wood to shaping the reed blocks and fine tuning each component for a perfect fit and ideal sound. He does his best to incorporate
generations of knowledge into his work, while continually looking for new ways to improve the overall functionality, efficiency and playability of each instrument. He is experienced in repairing, restoring and tuning button accordions—especially older and antique accordions made in Louisiana, old world Germany or anywhere else.
With an incredible and growing collection of handbuilt accordions from all over the globe, his friends often joke that he could found Louisiana’s first accordion museum at his workshop in Broussard, Louisiana.
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Heritage Accordions
Heritage Accordions
Rusty Sanner was born in Lake Charles, but his family moved between New Iberia, Baton Rouge & finally settled in Milton, LA in 1993. When he was 12, his parents brought him to the Hot Air Balloon festival in Baton Rouge where Wayne Toups was playing. He stayed in the front of the stage transfixed by Wayne’s playing of a bright red “Falcon” accordion and something in him turned on like a light bulb. He suddenly had a desire to learn how to play the accordion and as days went by, it was all that he could think about. He got his first accordion in late 1992 & when his family moved to Milton he was able to meet Randy Falcon the man who made the bright red “Falcon” accordion that he saw Wayne Toups play. The two struck up a friendship that lasted for 27 years until Mr. Falcon passed away in May 2020.
While other musicians his age were joining or starting bands, Rusty was fixated on understanding how an accordion was made & spent a lot of time with Randy. “When I was about 25, I started pressing him to teach me how to make them, he stalled for a year or so, I think he wanted to know just how strong of a desire I had. He taught me and Andre Michot in the same time period and when he retired in August of 2019, I purchased all of his inventory and began taking care of his customers to continue what he had done for over 45 years”.