F a c e t h e H a b i t

Claudia Toutain-Dorbec

This edition copyright © 2011 CSF Publishing, New Mexico, USAPhotographs & Artwork copyright © 2010 by Claudia Toutain-Dorbec

Published in 2011 by CSF Publishing, USAWeb: csfpublishing.comE-mail: info@csfpublishing.com505 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 Toutain-Dorbec 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-rib-boned, sorted, stacked, and catalogued, this activity became a full-time enterprise. Ultimately photographing these botan-icals in various arrangements, she created a group of stun-ning 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 Mo-net 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, de-pressed, 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 per-sonal 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 vision-ary 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: The Mighty CartelFujiflex Print, 60”x40” - 152x101cm

Budding Desire: Destroyer of Nature’s BalanceFujiflex Print, 71”x42” - 179x106cm

Speechless Clarity in the Fog with Peonies, DetailFujiflex Print

Death of a Lily White Broken HeartFujiflex Print, 80”x40” - 204x102 cm

Floating Euphoria Prevails into OblivionFujiflex Print, 71”x41” - 180x104 cm

Emptiness Blooms to Become MadnessFujiflex Print, 59”x39.5” - 150x100 cm

A Bouquet of Painful DisappointmentsFujiflex Print, 67”x40” - 171x101.5 cm

Ghost Life Without Words and Three PeoniesFujiflex Print, 76”x41” - 193x104 cm

Listen: Reality Strikes Deep, into the Heart it SinksFujiflex Print, 55”x40” - 139x102 cm

If Wishes Were Horses We’d All RideFujiflex Print, 59”x40” - 150x102 cm

Like a Wingless Angel Two Lips Speak of HopeFujiflex Print, 62”x39” - 157x100.5 cm

Poppy Boy, The Fire of Youth Surrounds HimFujiflex Print, 70.5”x43” - 179x109 cm

A Portrait: Eric’s Eternal Search for Yin and YangFujiflex Print, 66”x41” - 168x105 cm

Silenced: Lost in the Fog, Near Death, with One PeonyFujiflex Print, 70.5”x42.5” - 179x108.5 cm

Sideways: A Prayer to St. John and St. FrancisFujiflex Print, 59”x40” - 150x101 cm

Love Withers and Reseeds (The Cycle Continues)Fujiflex Print, 97”x41” - 246x105 cm