Lewy’s will give part of art profits to children’s charity

The scene grabbed hold of him, and he had to paint it.

It’s as simple as that.

And it’s really the foundation of Bryan Federico’s artistic career. Well, technically, it’s a part-time career. His profession and full-time job is as a physical therapist.

This is how Danny Lewy learned of Federico’s artwork. Lewy is owner and operator of Lewy Physical Therapy in both Baton Rouge and Denham Springs. Twice a year, he pushes all equipment aside to transform his Baton Rouge facility into an art gallery.

“We do this once in the fall, and once in the spring,” he said. “We started it two years ago.”

It’s simply called the Lewy Physical Therapy Art Show, and the next one will be Thursday, April 12. Work by 15 artists will be featured, most of which will be for sale.

A portion of the sale proceeds benefits a chosen charity. Previous shows have benefited the Never Quit Never Forget foundation for military veterans. This show will benefit the Dreams Come True foundation for children with life threatening diseases.

The event also will include live and silent auctions.

The story behind the show’s beginning is simple enough. Lewy’s wife Shannon was buying art from an artist who told her he was looking for a place to show his work.

“We thought, ‘Let’s try a show here,’” Lewy said.

The idea proved a success as some $10,000 worth of artwork was sold in the first show. So, Lewy scheduled another.

“And it grew,” he said.

Artists in this show include Carol Arabie, Ted Mayeux, Danni Shobe, Adrianna Speer, Maria Boudreaux, Laurie Williamson, Cindy Rome, Keith “The Cartoonman” Douglas, Daniel Strickland and Jack Joubert, among others.

Federico also will be there, as he has been in every Lewy show. He’ll have 10 paintings in the show, including the New Orleans jazz-themed “Papa John Joseph’s Preservation Hall” he had with him on this particular day.

The painting is large, the character of Papa John Joseph is mesmerizing. This makes it that much more difficult to believe that Federico has never had any type of formal art training.

It’s his passion. He sees a scene, and he has to paint it. It was that way when he was living in Asheville, N.C., and it’s the same now that he’s back home in New Orleans, where he lives with his wife and children and works as a physical therapist.

And it was a friend who alerted Lewy about the artwork by this fellow physical therapist. Lewy liked the artwork and invited Federico to be in the show.

Federico had dabbled in art as a kid, but he realized in high school that girls liked athletes better than artists, so he gave up art for baseball. He decided to again try his hand at art after finishing physical therapy school.

“That’s when I was living in Asheville,” he said. “It was an artist’s community, and I wanted to do it. I painted my passion, and I didn’t worry about what other people thought.”

And he’s still not worried.

This could be the same story for Jack Jaubert. He never worried what other people thought about his painting while playing LSU football. It’s something he loved, a passion within him. Jaubert played center for LSU from 1968 to 1971. Bert Jones was one of the quarterbacks for whom he snapped the ball.

And Jaubert is still affiliated with the LSU Athletic Department in his own way, painting the portraits of every LSU football player who has received All America honors. The portraits hang in the athletic department.

The athletic department also has commissioned other paintings, and Jaubert has been hired to paint murals for the New Orleans Police Department and the U.S. Naval Medical Center in Pensacola, Fla. He also was commissioned to create a painting for the Louisiana National Guard which now hangs at Camp Beauregard in Pineville.

Jaubert has been involved in so many projects, too many to mention in one sitting. He works primarily on commission mostly as a portraitist.

He’ll be showing some original works at the Lewy show, but none will be for sale.

“It’ll just be things for people to see,” he said. “People in Baton Rouge are interested in LSU and LSU art. This will be something they like.”

Viewers are sure to like Carol Arabie’s work, too. She brought her painting of New Orleans’ St. Louis Cathedral with her on this day. The painting looks at the cathedral from Chartres Street, gazing back toward the city. It’s an unusual angle; many artists either paint the cathedral from the front or from an angle looking into the French Quarter.

“I was sitting on the balcony at Muriel’s restaurant, and I saw the steeples in the sky,” Arabie said. “I knew I had to paint them.”

Arabie calls herself a “forever student.” She is an artist and instructor who has degrees in English and art education. She earned her art degree after teaching English on the high school level.

“Now I teach art on my own,” Arabie said.

As for her own painting, Arabie likes to explore different genres and techniques.

“I convey my impressions from my various impressions of life,” she said. “For me, it’s more about exploring the different elements of art than it is the subject matter. And I want the viewer to enjoy it.”

This show will mark Arabie’s fourth with Lewy Physical Therapy.

“Each show helps a cause, and I’m excited about this cause,” Arabie said. “This one is special because it helps children.”

And that’s what it’s all about isn’t it? Helping others while experiencing a passion for art.