Herve Lessard. Sculptor. Woodcarver. Marbleton, Quebec. Active late 20th century.
Herve Lessard is known for his carvings of women. His work is naïve and very confident, and his carvings have a lot of strength, personality and attitude. They range in size from 6 to 8 inches in smaller ones. and up to 12 to 14 inches in larger. Always painted in bright ‘as found’ colors and often in ‘pairs’, his carvings are memorable and fun to look at. His early work was unsigned. He signed later carvings with his initials: ‘H.L.’ usually on the feet and occasionally with his name and a date on the bottom of the base. Very often his carvings will have movable arms; a feature that adds greatly to them. Some of his larger carvings will have applied hair; the smaller pieces usually have carved hair. More rarely, Herve Lessard carved animals, especially later in his career. An artist whose work has intelligence,charm and mystery. Some examples are posted below. He has a brother Roger Lessard who is also known to make carvings and it is possible that he is the maker of the animal carvings. For ‘economic’ reasons he was reluctant to sign his works.
An Earlier work by Herve Lessard. Woman with Black Hair and a Challenge (14 inches Tall:
Herve Lessard. Woodcarver. Sherbrooke, Quebec.
Herve Lessard. A group of three Women:
Herve Lessard. Woodcarver. Three Women. Sherbrooke, Quebec.
Herve Lessard. Sample of his Mark:
Herve Lessard. His mark.
Herve Lessard. Wood carving. A Lady in Black:
Herve Lessard. Sherbrooke Quebec. Lady in Black. 1997.
His Initials on the base:
Herve Lessard. Lady in Black. Detail of his Mark.
A Grey Cat by Herve Lessard. Wood, String and color.:
Herve or Roger Lessard. Carving of a Grey Cat. C. 2005.
