Painting Out Loud by Leah Draffen
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CONSIDER OUR HANDS. Most of us use our hands to do just about everything in our day-to-day lives. Artist Christy Boutte uses her hands in bit more powerful ways—to finger paint, and to speak in sign language. Spinal meningitis left Christy profoundly deaf at 13 months old. And today, her paintings are just as much a form of communication as they are a form of selfexpression. “I use my hands to express myself through my second language of signing, and finger painting,” Christy says. “Being deaf, I feel that my art breaks down the
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communication barrier between myself and the hearing world. While I can read lips and chat, my art is like an ice breaker. It speaks my voice.” It was in high school that Christy realized her natural ability to draw and create. She knew then that she wanted to be an artist. “Art gave me the self-confidence and strength to push through academically. As a deaf student in a mainstream environment, school was tough, but art class was my happy place. It still is!” Christy went on to become the first deaf graduate from Ringling College of Art and Design in 2000. Fresh out of college and a starving artist, Christy traded her first original painting for rent. She earned a living and inspired young students as an Art Director at a Montessori School in Austin while continuing to paint and sell her pieces. Three short years later, she was asked to create her first poster for the 2003 Gretna Heritage Festival. That poster opened the door to her nearly two-decade career as a festival poster artist, creating over 50 posters for various festivals in Louisiana and across the country. A Gretna native, Christy captures the playful spirit of our local traditions, wildlife and architecture in her paintings. Christy’s oldest and most popular series is her Mardi Gras Tree, like the one on our cover. She says, “A friend told me a while back, ‘New Orleans is so fabulous, even the trees wear jewelry.’ I use that a lot when talking about them. The tree roots represent how we New Orleanians >>
photos: MELANIE LANGTEAU MILESTONE PHOTOGRAPHY
Cover Artist Christy Boutte
