Ann Dupre turns a disaster’s trash into treasure

by Jim Pittman, @gulfcoastmarket

Born and raised in Thibodaux, Louisiana, Ann Dupre captures her cajun heritage in glass paintings. Following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, many south Louisiana homes needed to be rebuilt and restored. As a result, old cypress windows were torn out and discarded as trash. When Ann decided to turn this disaster’s negative into a positive, Bayou Art was born.

Ann collected the windows and began painting them to look like stained glass. All of her images come from her South Louisiana heritage. Now egrets, purple and yellow iris, alligators, swamp scenes, magnolia, and brown pelicans grace the panes of these beautiful antique windows.

Ann Dupre turned a hobby, born after Katrina’s devastation, into an opportunity to bring joy to homes and additional income into her family. Her art now hangs as the focal point in family rooms throughout the bayou country. Ann’s Bayou Art windows are now available for purchase on the Gulf Coast Marketplace.

The mission of the Gulf Coast Marketplace, www.thegulfcoastmarketplace.org, is to contribute to community recovery by providing opportunities for economic growth and financial independence to individuals and families, especially those impacted by disaster.