Brushes with fate
Whether it is a paint brush or a tooth brush, Louise Lamontagne is making the world a better place with each stroke.
She followed her passion to be an artist in 1987, but it was much later in life that she found another calling. The St. Ignatius resident and part-time dental hygienist began traveling to Honduras in 2003, volunteering her time and skills for a week-long dental clinic, and has returned each subsequent year.
Lamontagne was recently selected to have her work exhibited in the Missoula Art Museum (MAM). Lamontagne is known for her sweeping landscape paintings and said the body of work the museum asked her to present was something she never planned on showing anyone. She had hidden it away, which prompted its name, the “My Closet Collection.”
The pieces are part of a series that are non-objective, created with no reference photo or external imagery, quite different than her representational works. They were just a desire to paint and express, Lamontagne said.
“These pieces are intimate and intuitive, spontaneous and raw,” she said. “They are my ‘prayers’ expressed in paint.”
The “My Closet Collection” exhibit is Lamontagne’s first solo art museum exhibit. At this time, the works can only be seen at MAM. The art spans the mediums of gouache, pencil, acrylic, oil and caustic.
Lamontagne was anxious about showing the collection because it is such a personal set of artwork.
“It’s very exciting and also a little scary because of the work being exhibited, but mostly it’s an honor to be asked,” she said.
Lamontagne said MAM contacted her last August. The full collection comprises nearly 150 pieces of art that had already been created when MAM asked Lamontagne to show her work. She said MAM selected works from the collection to create the exhibit showing at the museum.
Lamontagne connected with MAM before her show. She taught classes through the museum last summer which she continued this year. The classes teach the basics of the art Lamontagne creates.
Lamontagne doubles as a part-time dental hygienist, which has paid the bills when her art has not. Dentistry is a family tradition. Her grandfather, father and brother are all dentists. Then she married into a family with dentists in it, her father-in-law is also a dentist.
It was her father-in-law who got Lamontagne involved with the organization Cape CARES (Central American Relief Efforts) in 2003. The group organizes groups of doctors and dentists to journey to Honduras on weeklong mission trips to give healthcare to Hondurans who have no other access to healthcare.
Since that trip, Lamontagne has traveled to Central America every year and her father-in-law, now 83 and retired, makes the same journey. In the one week of volunteer work, the clinic will usually see up to 650 patients. She said it can be exasperating when only so much care can be given to each person, and she would love to stay longer.
“It’s rewarding and frustrating at the same time,” she said. “I always feel like it’s worth it though.”
The group’s impact on the area is tangible. Lamontagne has seen a change in people’s oral health. In the early years, the bulk of the dental work they performed were tooth extractions, now they mostly do preventative procedures such as fillings and cleanings.
But these trips aren’t free. One trip can easily cost upwards of $1,500 per person. Lamontagne raises the money to foot her own travel expenses down to Honduras, usually from her own pocket.
It wasn’t until last year however, that Lamontagne combined her two passions for art and mission work. Lamontagne wanted to sponsor Sharon Toussaint, a local dental hygienist to join their group, so she came up with the idea to sell her artwork for the cause.
The idea was a runaway success. Lamontagne was not only able to sponsor Sharon Toussaint, but the money she raised paid the way for four people to travel to Honduras.
This year’s trip is set for the end of October and early November and Lamontagne and her husband will take on the role of team leaders for the mission.
Lamontagne said she isn’t sure how she will go about fundraising this year, but said she has thought about raffling off some of her work. She hopes to sponsor Sharon Toussaint and another hygienist as well.
“I feel a lot of gratitude to have the ability to give,” Lamontagne said. “To see the poverty that these people live with is staggering.”
Lamontagne’s show runs through Sept. 29. An artist reception will be held at MAM Friday, Aug. 2 from 5 to 8 p.m with a gallery talk at 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.