ABOUT

Michael Guidry is a New Orleans–based oil painter whose vibrant, layered works draw from the rich landscapes and waterways of South Louisiana. Working from life, memory, and imagination, Guidry builds his compositions with oil colors on wood, burlap, aluminum, and canvas. His practice is rooted in classical traditions he studied at the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts, and Louisiana State University, yet his paintings push into contemporary terrain through bold color, experimentation with materials, and narrative symbolism.

Nature is both his subject and collaborator. Much of Guidry’s inspiration comes from time spent at his fishing camp in the Louisiana salt marsh, where encounters with wildlife, shifting tides, and fragile wetlands fuel his visual language. From clumps of marsh grass to albino alligators, from herons mid-flight to the rhythms of bayou life, his paintings transform raw experiences into luminous reflections of memory and myth.

Over the past decade, Guidry’s work has evolved from natural studies to storytelling compositions, weaving together environmental observation with personal history. His art has been exhibited widely, including at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, and has been praised for its humor, vibrancy, and distinct perspective on Louisiana’s natural world.

Guidry holds a degree in Journalism from LSU, with minors in French, History, Painting, and Sculpture. He lived and worked in New York City before returning to Louisiana to pursue art full time. Today, his studio practice is interwoven with family life, fatherhood, and a continuing sense of discovery.