Moon Mother with Twin Serpents
Touchette's chapter "Multicultural Strategies for Aesthetic Revolution in the 21st Century" is included in this prestigious feminist art criticism anthology edited by Arlene Raven, Cassandra Langer and Joannah Frueh
IT STOPS WITH ME: MEMOIR OF A CANUCK GIRL
CHARLEEN TOUCHETTE, Touch Art Books, Santa Fe, NM, $18.00 US, paperback, (245p)
ISBN: 0-9746545-0-7
An emotion-charged story of initial struggle and ultimate success, "It Stops With Me" is the touching saga of a woman's endeavor to overcome the painful memories of her childhood days through the medium of art. Charleen Touchette, the author of this autobiographical work, views art as a means of preserving her French Canadian culture for posterity "...my wide-eyed children who will never
be lucky enough to see our culture in its fullness, a culture that is now irretrievable...". She also uses it to good effect in reproducing her dreams and visions through sketches and paintings.
Charleen, an early victim of sexual abuse, leaves home at 17 to take up a career in art after discovering that she has innate artistic abilities and is abetted
by her teachers. Though her mother is strongly against the idea, she persists in her decision. Barry (whom she marries later on) and his family, however, encourage her in her pursuit. In the course of time, she earns the praise and support of fellow artists through her work and ends up advocating the cause of
artists from minority groups. She also stands out as a symbol of the Indian tradition, a tradition that she is alienated from since the migration of her family to the United States.
"It Stops With Me" is good all round reading for book lovers. While the emotional reader is bound to sympathize with the trauma that the author faces in
her earlier days and to triumph in her determination that children would no longer be abused in her family, art lovers would be impressed by the high quality of her works presented in the book especially the color illustrations that bring out her father's character. It is a must in any library collection.
BookWire Review
February 23, 2005
