F a c e
t h e
H a b i t
Claudia Toutain-Dorbec
This edition copyright Š 2011 CSF Publishing, New Mexico, USA Photographs & Artwork copyright Š 2010 by Claudia Toutain-Dorbec Published in 2011 by CSF Publishing, USA Web: csfpublishing.com E-mail: info@csfpublishing.com 505 747 1177 Limited edition prints of the photographs in this book, signed by the photographer, are available. Address inquiries to info@csfpublishing.com, or visit: www.claudiatoutain.com All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, whithout permission in writing from the publisher.
Hunting and gathering for more than a year, Claudia ToutainDorbec collected bundles upon baskets of seeds, grasses, both common and exotic flora and fauna. She hiked to forage; she travelled to collect. She gathered in yards, orchards, fields, along streams, in urban areas. Bundled and be-ribboned, sorted, stacked, and catalogued, this activity became a full-time enterprise. Ultimately photographing these botanicals in various arrangements, she created a group of stunning Southwest compositions that both celebrate the wonder and vitality of life in such a harsh land as well as address the environmental concerns of man’s need to control nature leading to the demise of species. At invitation from the Monet Garden in Giverny, France, in 2010 she continued work on a new botanical series, working within the garden itself in a private studio. During the time she worked on The Botanicals, her ill, depressed, and drug addicted brother, who had been homeless in Portland, Oregon for 20 years, came to live in the casita alongside the main house. Claudia spent a full year providing a nurturing, healthy environment and ferrying him to doctors, therapist, and methadone appointments in a determined attempt to contribute to his recovery. During the time her brother was facing his demons Claudia
faced her own in guiding him through his torment. The personal toll she would suffer in playing caregiver to a severely ill and addicted patient resulted in a separate series of paintings depicting the shadowy world of a person not fully present. Claudia’s struggle to maintain her sanity in the face of this difficult situation haunts every painting in the series. After the year had passed and her brother moved on, Claudia herself had not yet completely recovered from the ordeal of caregiver. Determined to make sense of the experience, she set about reproducing these paintings while employing the new botanicals from the Monet Garden project, using these two very different outlooks in juxtaposition resulted in the visionary and poignant results you see here. Darkness at the edge of life combined with vibrant, stubborn, death-defying growth leads each experience to support and enhance the other. Each series, strong in its own right, combine in symbolism, color complements, and opposing elements to seem as if they were twins from conception. This combination of work culminated in a series of Fujiflex prints up to 40” x 60. With this project Claudia, too, embraces new balance in her life.
Trish Booth, Truchas, New Mexico, 2010
A Prickly Situation: Fujiflex Print, 60”x40”
The Mighty Cartel
- 152x101cm
Budding Desire: Destroyer of Nature’s Balance Fujiflex Print, 71”x42”
- 179x106cm
Speechless Clarity in the Fog with Peonies, Detail Fujiflex Print
Death of a Lily White Broken Heart Fujiflex Print, 80”x40” - 204x102 cm
Floating Euphoria Prevails into Oblivion Fujiflex Print, 71”x41” - 180x104 cm
Emptiness Blooms to Become Madness
Fujiflex Print, 59”x39.5” - 150x100 cm
A Bouquet of Painful Disappointments Fujiflex Print, 67”x40” - 171x101.5 cm
Ghost Life Without Words and Three Peonies Fujiflex Print, 76”x41” - 193x104 cm
Listen: Reality Strikes Deep, into the Heart it Sinks Fujiflex Print, 55”x40” - 139x102 cm
If Wishes Were Horses We’d All Ride Fujiflex Print, 59”x40” - 150x102 cm
Like a Wingless Angel Two Lips Speak of Hope Fujiflex Print, 62”x39” - 157x100.5 cm
Poppy Boy, The Fire of Youth Surrounds Him Fujiflex Print, 70.5”x43” - 179x109 cm
A Portrait: Eric’s Eternal Search for Yin and Yang Fujiflex Print, 66”x41” - 168x105 cm
Silenced: Lost in the Fog, Near Death, with One Peony Fujiflex Print, 70.5”x42.5” - 179x108.5 cm
Sideways: A Prayer to St. John and St. Francis Fujiflex Print, 59”x40” - 150x101 cm
Love Withers and Reseeds (The Cycle Continues) Fujiflex Print, 97”x41” - 246x105 cm