“Dot-tee” captures the essence of bayou-living in folk-art

by Jim Pittman, @gulfcoastmarket

Dottie Theriot Ratliff (pronounced “Dot-tee”) spent her childhood running in the Chauvin, Louisiana woods, fishing and enjoying her life on Bayou Petit Caillou. She still gets excited when a shrimp boat passes her bayou home at night with music playing and lights on.

A pre-school teacher for 33 years, Dottie never had an art lesson and began painting at 55. Her folk-art evolved over the years from painting “Tou-Lou-Lous” (fiddler crabs) on clear plates to applying multiple layers of paint on both side of a pane of glass –  capturing her unique bayou imagery and some occasional pink alligators.

Like her friends and neighbors in this fishing community, Dottie has overcome many of the challenges of hurricanes and an oil spill. She paints freely, “from the heart” and uses her folk-art as a form of therapy. All of the wood frames for  Dottie’s creations are handcrafted from Louisiana cypress found after the hurricanes and given to her by friends.

Dottie Ratliff’s Louisiana folk-art is available for viewing and purchase on the Gulf Coast Marketplace.