Morganza artist receives high honor

Chiseling away at a piece of cypress wood Allen Crochet taps into his Cajun roots to transform it into a piece of artwork recording Louisiana’s distinctive flavor of culture and faith.

Crochets’ contributions to the creative vibrancy and culture of the capital region were recently recognized by the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge, which presented him with the Lifetime Arts Award.  

A native of Morganza, Crochet, 91, was four years old when his mother gave him pencils and a composition book to “quiet him.”

“So I decided to sketch Jesus, Mary, St. Joseph, the apostles and such,” said Crochet, who was inspired by the statues at St. Ann Church in Morganza.

Crochet then began a lifetime journey with art, most notably wood relief painting. 

“Old cabins, bayou scenes, old stores, old plantations, they all fascinate me in the sense that I feel compelled to record for all to see the way they were,” said Crochet. “They are a central theme of my artwork and like the steady beat of a drum, I have produced thousands of wood-carved paintings – one chip at a time, by hand since 1979.”

A 1951 graduate of Morganza High School, Crochet served as a company artist for the Third Division, 10th Field at Fort Benning, Georgia.

Financing his education through a G.I. bill, Crochet graduated from LSU in 1958 with a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in art and a minor in social studies. He was certified in elementary education.

Crochet taught sixth grade at Livonia High School, which at that time contained upper elementary grades.

In 1964, Crochet became the first full time art teacher in the Pointe Coupee public school system, saying he thoroughly enjoyed those years.

“The kids really had an interest in learning,” said Crochet. 

Once when he gave a slide presentation on Egyptian art, the students had been doing drawing, painting and other mediums, but not three-dimensional artwork. A student asked him why they weren’t doing any carving, and Crochet responded that the Egyptians depicted everyday scenes, such as framing, hunting, etc., not just kings and queens. Pondering, he added, “Well, the Egyptians carved on limestone, which is what we call base-relief, which is shallow carving, and we don’t have limestone.”

Creativity kicking in, he mused “Well, we do have a lot of cypress.”

The art adventure began from there, and the students dismantled old barns, sheds, outhouses and such. They made name signs then moved on to things found in the area, such as trees, wildlife, buildings.

The students honed their craft and participated in a New Roads Mardi Gras parade float contest. One year, they received a prize for best float based on a rendition of the comic strip character Alley-Oop lounging in the shade by a tree which contained birds.

“The tree fell down and even laid on the floor of the float. But we still won,” grinned Crochet.

After retiring from teaching, Crochet concentrated on art shows. He has shown artwork at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage and Gulf Shores Shrimp Festival and festivals throughout Louisiana. He is often at the downtown Farmers Market in Baton Rouge on Saturdays.

To craft his wood relief, Crochet primarily selects cypress and Ponderosa pine. The cypress mostly comes from the Atchafalaya Basin, Lake Maurepas and Lake Allemands.

“Cypress alone has an unmistakably Louisiana charm and flavor,” said Crochet. “Ponderosa is soft and easily worked. Acrylic colors seem to be more brilliant as compared to cypress. Each has its advantages. Both woods are squared on a table saw and glued together when necessary for larger pieces.”

Crochet noted that wood relief paintings combine both base-relief painting carving followed by acrylic painting – two mediums combined.

In crating his artwork, Crochet adheres to “old-time” methods of using hand wood carving tools.

“I utilize chisels, gouges, parting tools, veiners, etc. in my artwork,” said Crochet. “I am frequently asked if I use mechanical tools in my creations, but I stubbornly adhere to the old methods deployed by the old masters. 

“These methods seem to be more satisfying for me and I achieve more of an artist-material relationship by adhering to these methods.”

The artist uses a large gauge to scoop away any excess wood until a “hallowed out” effect is achieved. 

“The composition begins with a cypress tree or stately oak acting as a ‘frame,’ ” Crochet said. “My frames are quite simple (usually cypress wood) and add an unusual charm that can’t be completed by commercial frames. Thus the composition is completed by a simple frame.”

The unique frames are a trademark of Crochet’s work.

He carves beginning with the foreground, middle ground and then background. Drawing is continuous.

Loose chips are steel-brushed away and he then applies a varnish to prepare the wood for painting.

“Over painting must be avoided in order to make the statement that the design is a wood-carving and not a piece of painted plastic,” said Crochet. “This is easily avoided by applying thin washes of acrylic color rather than heavy applications of paint.”

The water soluble varnish is applied to complete his composition.

While Crochet uses a “technical” method to his work, the vision behind his art is driven by the spiritual and inspirational.

Crochet’s work captures the African American culture.

One of his favorite works is a Black baptism. In the 1940s he and his father would go fishing in Morganza and at 3 p.m. Little Rock Baptist Church in Morganza had baptisms. He and his dad watched as they had a ceremony. The congregation sang and people were dunked underwater.

Now living in the Greenwell Springs area and a member of St. Alphonsus Church in Greenwell Springs, the church and its parishioners benefit from his talent.

“I have known Allen and Barbara Crochet since my first assignment at St. Mary (of False River) in New Roads,” said St. Alphonsus pastor Father Michael Moroney. “He was the art teacher at Livonia High School and he was in attendance many times at St. Mary. From then until now he has continued to have a very pleasant comforting smile on his face.

“Since my coming to St. Alphonsus I have gotten to know him and (wife) Barbara very well. Over the years he has done some beautiful wood carvings for St. Alphonsus, (including), The Last Supper. He has over the years carved many special pieces for our auction, and he has personally given to me many special carvings.”

Crochet also made cypress frames for the church’s Stations of the Cross which were purchased from the former St. Charles Borromeo Church in Baton Rouge.

“Many Sundays after Mass he will hand to me or the deacons small carvings all done with a spirit of love for the faith – the desire he has to share that with others through his religious carvings. He has been a blessing to many but especially to us here at St. Alphonsus,” Father Moroney said.