Joseph Boivin. Sculptor. Woodcarver. Ste-Foy, Quebec. Active 1960’s-1970’s.
Joseph Boivin with his wife and partner, Clara Gingras-Boivin (Painter), were makers of architectural ‘bird’ houses in the form of traditional 18th and 19th century Quebec houses, churches and other structures. They worked with the original materials; they used tin, stone and other materials where the real buildings would have used them. Other ‘as found’ materials were also used to simulate flooring, interior walls and chandeliers etc.
Their model houses were often complete with interior rooms and fixtures. These model buildings were ‘bird houses’ in theory only; they were in fact architectural models. They often designed their houses from memory and imagination.
Their work was always coloured in primary ‘as found’ paint. They were cited in the records of the Canadian Centre for Folklore and in Jean Simard’s ‘Pour Passer le Temps’. When Joseph Boivin became unable to continue this work Clara Gingras-Boivin, continued the work alone. (See the separate article on Mme. Gingras-Boivin.)
Ref: Jean Simard, Pour Passer Le Temps: Artistes Populaires Du Quebec, Gouvernement du Quebec, Ministere des Affaires Culturelles. 1985.
Ref: Canadian Centre for Folklore Studies. Canadian Museum of Civilization.
Ref: Blake McKendry, An Illustrated Companion to Canadian Folk Art (1999).
