Sunday, March 24, 2013

Conversations with Chere Labbe Doiron



“Well I never have wandered down to New Orleans
Never have drifted down a bayou stream
But I heard that music on the radio
And I swore some day I was gonna go…”

-       Mary Chapin Carpenter


Chere Labbe Doiron’s collection, Tatted Earth and Dreams, currently on display at the Caritas Village, certainly made me want to hop in the car and head south to Louisiana.  When speaking about the collection, Chere explains, “All of the work is rooted in Louisiana. That just seems to be where my heart lies and where my aesthetic passion emanates from...These places are very dear to me, so I approach it from a spiritual standpoint, not just a sheer visual standpoint.” As pure and honest as a folk song, and as rich and layered as the bayou, the pieces in this exhibit pay homage to Chere’s artistic influences and the beloved Louisiana land that she calls home. They also speak the story of her life through texture, found objects, and exuberant color.
            The art pulled me into its strikingly beautiful world from across the large room at the Village. In fact, it stopped me in my tracks on a very busy day. I am very lucky that Chere herself happened to be sitting near me at the very moment this happened. Before I knew it, we had lunch plans and an interview scheduled to further discuss her work. I can honestly say, that my conversation with Chere turned out to be one of the most inspiring lunch hours that I have experienced in quite sometime.
            She speaks of her art with an ease and modesty, but also with great reverence and great conviction. When describing her process, she makes it clear that she creates with urgency and out of utter necessity. After a thirty-year hiatus from painting, she returned to her craft three years ago with the fear of a child, but also with fierce determination. When speaking of her artistic journey, she uses the words “intensity” and “risk.” She says, “I’m painting with a lot of physical and spiritual intensity. These are aggressive paintings and I like that.” The intensity comes from “the urgency to get it out – the fear of doing it and the fear of not doing it.” Chere is now embracing the journey, the struggle, and the uncertainty that I think almost all artists can relate to. She recognizes this need to create as a gift and is putting her creations out into the world with open eyes and a heart that constantly desires growth.
            The pieces in the exhibit range from canvases that depict the marsh in Louisiana with layers and layers of color, to weathered wood with multiple moons, to three-dimensional upholstery for an armchair. One of my personal favorites, Tattered Dreams, is a mixed media piece portraying a bride that has been “left out in the rain.” Inspired by a collage artist form Chere’s hometown, she is made of wood, paint, beautiful lace, and found pieces of metal. The bride has been sold and I asked Chere, if it would be hard to let her go. She quickly said “no.” She is happy to let the work go when she knows that it is going to a good home. “The bride is going to hang in a women’s shelter - transitional housing for woman who are leaving prison with their children and assimilating back into the world…That my work can be used at that level is overwhelming to me.” Chere is planning to create a hopeful companion piece for Tattered Dreams that explores dreams fulfilled.
            Chere believes that “The best part about the pieces is being able to share what they are about on a deeper level and then have people who are interested in that and to be able to have conversations about it – to me that is the ultimate, best thing ever. The connection with people through the art I do just blows me away.”
You have one more week to see this extraordinary exhibit. It will be at the Caritas Village through March 31. If you are as lucky as I was, you will get to speak with Chere about her work. I assure you, you will leave inspired.

by Leslie Barker