PONCHATOULA, La. (AP) — Louisiana artist Mandy Poche needed something to wear to her exhibition opening the next day. Rather than rushing to the store at the last minute, she called on her creative skills and painted an off-the-shoulder white cocktail dress to match one of her artworks. The result has been a sensation of Internet success.
Poche lives in Ponchatoula, a town of about 8,000 people in southeast Louisiana that is known for its annual strawberry festival, antique shops and its live pet alligator. Now it is highlighted by a piece of art that people all over the world have connected with: Poche’s dress.
When she painted the dress and made a video, she joked with her family that it would be a hit. “Look, this is going to go viral,” said Poche, owner of Mandi Mae Fine Art.
The video, titled “When you need something cool to wear to your art launch tomorrow night,” shows her doing an initial dab of turquoise on the dress and ends with the garment finished in bright hues next to a colorful paint job. Similar.
In the three weeks since he posted it to Facebook, the video has been viewed nearly 9 million times, generating a staggering amount of interest in his work across the United States and as far away as Australia.
“It has been non-stop. Messages in the middle of the night coming in from other countries that I was not expecting,” she said.
Poche, originally from Luling, Louisiana, is a self-taught artist who creates abstract impressionist works with a southern flair. His gallery is full of variety, as is the dress.
She said she has since made and sold four similar garments, but she will most likely never part with the original.
Now Poche is trying to capitalize on the interest generated by the dress to contribute to her community. She plans to work with local women business owners to host a charity event soon.
“Anything you can do to get people here, I’m all for it,” Poche said.
She added that she is happy to have inspired others, including other artists: “I connected with these people on a whole different level.”
Source: news.google.com