Courir de Mardi Gras Big Catch

by Seaux-N-Seau Soileau

Title

Courir de Mardi Gras Big Catch

Artist

Seaux-N-Seau Soileau

Medium

Painting - Mixed Media

Description

Courir de Mardi Gras Big Catch is a folk art painting by Seaux N. Seau Soileau. It depicts an imaginative look at Louisiana's traditional Courir de Mardi Gras. These country Mardi Gras are very different from big city Mardi Gras. Seaux N. Seau is a grandmother but she remembers her childhood days and the fun she had at her grandmother's house on Mardi Gras. The Mardi Gras arrived on horseback led by a captain. The captain wore a cape and asked permission for the Mardi Gras to come on to the property to entertain the household and beg for ingredients for their gumbo. When permission was given a flag was raised and a Cajun band began playing from the back of a pickup or trailer as the masked costumed riders danced, begged, and preformed tricks to entertain. Depending on how well the homeowners were entertained a hen or several were thrown out for the riders to catch for their gumbo, or perhaps a bag of rice or seasonings were given. The chickens ran as the men chased them. Catching the big hens were the most challenging. This painting is how Seaux N. Seau imagined the Mardi Gras riders looked after their big catch when she was a child. The chickens always seemed so big to her because of how important the chickens were on her grandmother's farm. They provided eggs for all those delicious meals and treats her grandmother cooked. They ate all the pesky bugs that threatened her grandmother's Hydrangeas, Camilla, Jasmine and other beautiful flowers. They chickens were delicious in so many dishes like gumbo, fried chicken, chicken salad,and so many more. The riders were grown men and teenaged boys. In real life at that time they were so big to her. They plowed the fields on large loud tractors and could pitch big bales of hay into and out of the second story of their barns. They were community leaders and ran the local businesses. On Mardi Gras they didn't appear to be so big however. They dressed in funny costumes with thousands of colorful fringes that flapped in the breeze when they danced. They were jolly as they danced on the backs of their horses. They stumbled around the yard as they chased chickens under houses, around flower bushes, and through the yard. Their antics reminded her of the kids she played with at that time in her life. These Courir de Mardi Gras still happen in south central Louisiana. Seaux N. Seau N. Seau has many grandchildren now. She hopes their imagination makes the magic of Mardi Gras just as real for them as it was for her!!
This image was featured in the following Fine Art America groups:
Created by Southern Artist 1-12-2019
Mask 1-13-2019
Poetic Poultry 1-25-2019
Images That Excite You 1-27-2019
Birds 01-28-2019
1,000 Views In 1 Image 03-03-2020
Out of the Ordinary-1 Image A Day 02-18-2022

Uploaded

January 11th, 2019

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