Interview with Rebecca Clouâtre: A look into materiality, motherhood, and the human’s place in the natural world

You can find this interview and Rebecca Clouâtre’s artwork in Bloom, flo.’s second print issue.

Rebecca Clouâtre is an Ottawa-based paper collage artist whose ephemeral dreamscapes are scattered throughout Bloom. While it is the beauty of Clouâtre’s art that attracts the eye, it is the intimacy of looking into deeply emotive and visceral scenes that keeps it there. Her playful engagement with the scale of plants and animals creates lively narratives throughout her work and allows for a compelling look into the human’s place in the natural world. The next few pages offer an insightful journey into Clouâtre’s background, inspirations, and creative process. For more information on Clouâtre, visit rebeccaclouatre.com.

Can you tell me a bit about your background and how you got to where you are today?

My educational background is in English Literature and Art History, with a concentration in curatorial studies. I graduated the Art History MA program at Carleton University in 2015. Although I’ve always been interested in art and I’ve considered myself a collector since I was a kid (flashback to Polly Pockets and Lip Smackers lining my childhood bedroom shelves!), I never imagined I would become a professional artist.

The beginning of my practice came from a very organic but slightly depressing place. After completing grad school and working in the field for a short time, I suddenly found myself unemployed and unsure of how to move forward. While job- and soul-searching I decided to start a project where I made one mini collage a day for 150 days and shared my daily progress on Instagram. The exercise was purely personal at first. I was searching for something cathartic to get me through this unfamiliar slow time after years of hustling and working various jobs to get through school. About halfway through the project, Danielle Krysa (aka. The Jealous Curator) posted about my collages on her popular art blog. Everything exploded from there. I gained new followers quickly and people started asking if my work was for sale. I never looked back!

What is your creative process for a piece, from start to finish?

I find inspiration everywhere: in nature, books, other forms of art. Usually a collage starts with a feeling or tone I want to convey. I often find a single image that spurs a particular scene in my mind or a type of movement I want to build. I will often go through phases when I focus on specific colour palettes and/or types of animals: rabbits and daffodils were big for a while! I know it’s not particularly helpful when artists say this, but honestly a lot of pieces are created intuitively, and I find it difficult to explain exactly how a piece is made from start to finish. Sometimes it takes hours to find the perfect image, and I try many different combinations until it feels right.

All my imagery comes from original source material that I find second-hand, mostly from old books, magazines, and really anything paper based. I try to use as many vintage frames as I can, and I keep my materials as simple and eco- friendly as possible. My glue and base papers are nontoxic and acid-free.

What draws you to working with collage as opposed to more “traditional” mediums such as pencil or painting? Do you find that your brief career in historical research and curatorial work has influenced this choice, collage being, in a way, an act of curation itself?

Thinking of collage as an act of curation is interesting. Conceptualizing a collage is like curating because it involves amalgamating a variety of imagery into one space to build new meanings and juxtapositions. My art historical training has helped me immensely to navigate the art world. I understand fine art as an industry, and I know the work, thought and language involved in putting together an exhibition.

Working in collage feels special in many ways. In the history of art (at least in the Western canon), collage is a relatively new medium. Collage artists are underrepresented and they’re somewhat of a rare breed; it requires different nuanced skills compared to more traditional artistic mediums. There is a lot of patience involved in collage-making. A lot of time and attention is focused on “the hunt”: spending countless hours searching places like yard sales and thrift stores for source material. While I’m sure this way of working would induce anxiety for some, it is completely thrilling to me! I never know what I will find.

You turn to an analog mode of creation rather than digital. How do you find that this tactility influences your aesthetic and creative choices?

I am a reader, so I love and enjoy the tactility of books. Working with found material is simultaneously exciting and challenging because what I create is completely dictated by what I find. This process is unlike digital collage, where you have endless possibilities. I like working in this “old school” way because it breathes new life into tangible imagery that has otherwise been discarded or forgotten. I enjoy working with different textures of paper. I will often combine images that are from, say, 1960s National Geographic magazines with newer, glossier paper from a nature field guide printed within the last decade. I think these combinations create interesting narratives and can add texture to my work. Using original source material also dictates the size of my collages, whereas digital collage naturally allows for size manipulation. I am known for my small and intricate work, and I like how tiny details can draw the viewer in and create a sense of intimacy.

Your artworks often utilize elements of Surrealism combined with nature motifs: plants growing from heads, larger-than-life porcupines, distorted sizing between moons and animals. What importance do these motifs have to you?

I am certainly influenced by Surrealism—dreams are a constant inspiration and I enjoy placing images together that wouldn’t necessarily belong together. Nature is so rich with ample options for imagery. It is also universal, so I think my work can connect with a broad audience. Possibilities for symbolism are endless! I am particularly drawn to woodland and ocean creatures, and celestial imagery has always held importance for me. The moon is consistently used in my work because of its associations with lunacy and women’s histories concerning mental health. There is a lot to unpack there.

In some ways my work has restored my connection to nature. I think I had stronger ties with nature when I was younger. I was born and raised in North Bay, Ontario, which is peppered with trees and lakes. My grandfather lived on a lake, so I have many fond memories of swimming and exploring. Sometime during adolescence and early adulthood I lost some of this connection to nature. I moved to Ottawa after my undergrad and life became very busy and demanding! I now have a three-year-old daughter, Desiree. She reminds me of my childhood and the whimsy embedded in nature, and how reinvigorating it can feel to let go and play. Becoming a mother has certainly added deeper meaning to my work and has made me feel closer to nature.

Throughout your work, there exists an emotional connection between human, animal, and earth. What I mean by this is that there’s a sense of wonder, a sense of the human being so small against the grandeur of the natural world. What are your thoughts on this, and what drives this more emotive side of your artwork?

I like to experiment with scale and immerse human figures in the natural landscape because I think we all need to be reminded of these significant connections. Maybe if animals were that much larger, we’d pay more attention to them! My work serves as a reminder of our place in and influence on this earth. We all have a responsibility to preserve our shared home, and we should constantly be in awe of it.

Your website mentions the Ancient Goddess Art Project which will be presented at your solo exhibition at WKP Kennedy Art Gallery next year. Can you tell me a bit about this project and its relation to your interest in themes of contemporary feminism, womanhood, and mood disorders related to motherhood?

The Ancient Goddess Art Project is an extension of an earlier installation I created titled Tending Produce, which was part of the Gatherers exhibition at Gallery 101 in 2019. Tending Produce was about my experience with pregnancy and the intent was to highlight the unrealistic and damaging societal expectations on women going through the profound experiences of fertility and pregnancy. The installation was also partial commentary on how politics intrude in private family lives and women’s bodies.

While I want to include personal elements in this new installation, the primary focus of the Goddess Project will be providing a platform for and amplifying the voices of many mothers. The idea of this project was inspired by my readings on the ancient goddess figure Venus of Willendorf, which, to me, is a representation of a pre-patriarchal time in history when mothers were revered and considered powerful. Patriarchy is a prominent structure in contemporary society, and there are many ways that this structure negatively impacts the lives of mothers and strips us of our power. Postpartum anxiety and depression are at all-time highs, and I believe many do not understand the complexities of what it means to be a mother today. I want to use my platform and contribute something positive and useful to this topic. The catastrophe of overturning Roe v. Wade has made it abundantly clear that we need to fight for mothers and open more opportunities for dialogue. We need more diverse stories and perspectives.

From now until November 1st, 2022 I am collecting interviews from anyone who wishes to participate in The Ancient Goddess Art Project that identifies with motherhood. Participation may prompt me to create a collage directly inspired by contributors, which will be on display at WKP Kennedy Gallery in North Bay next spring. A portion of proceeds from each sale will be donated to a women’s shelter in North Bay. The Google Form and more information can be found on the homepage of my website: rebeccaclouatre.com.

How do you imagine your art practice will develop in the coming years? Are there things you are looking to experiment with or new themes you wish to explore?

There are so many things I want to do to develop my art practice! One of my dream aspirations is to experience at least one artist residency. I’d like to travel somewhere outside of Canada—somewhere where I can learn a lot and meet artists from around the world. Ottawa’s vibrant art community is very supportive and welcoming, and I feel extremely lucky to be a small part of it. But as I reach the mid-point of my career, I’d like to expand beyond Ottawa and exhibit internationally.

I am hopeful I will continue to exhibit at more art galleries and art festivals in the future. I also want to do more collaborations with artists. As I become more established, I will be able to incorporate more activism and fundraising into my practice. In the coming years I also want to be more intentional with the flora and fauna imagery I use; I wish to strengthen my understanding of botany on a deeper level by learning more about the history and uses of plants and become more familiar with different animal species.