Canadian Folk Art and Outsider Art
Eric Bridle. Sculptor. Wood carver. Red Bay, Labrador. Active let 20th century-.
Eric Bridle – model maker. His mark is seen on a naive painted carving of a boat model with cotton sails. Signed on the base: ‘Eric Bridle. Red Bay. ’99’.
A model of a Dory by Eric Bridle:
Eric Bridle. Red Bay, Labrador. Dory model.
The mark:
The mark. Eric Bridle.
Jean-Pierre Guay. Sculptor. Wood carver. Painter. Charny, Quebec. Active mid to late 20th century.
Jean Pierre Guay is a brilliant and multi-talented colorist, cabinet maker and artist. His sculptural subjects were birds, animals and occasionally weather vanes. His finishes were ‘as found’ colors and often were dense and glossy. Mr. Guay very rarely signed his carvings. He has more recently returned to his first love which was painting. He paints wild-life scenes that he signs and dates. Jean-Pierre Guay’s paintings can be found in galleries around Quebec.
A Rooster by Jean-Pierre Guay:
Jean-Pierre Guay. Rooster
Fred Smith. Sculptor. Wood carver. Nova Scotia. Active mid 20th century (1950’s and 1960’s).
Fred Smith was a bird carver. He made painted carvings of birds found throughout Canada. His carvings were always well mounted and coloured. He signed and dated his work on the base and often put his initials on the underside of the body of the birds. Shown below are some examples of Fred Smith’s carved birds; several were provided by a generous collector from Quebec who had the good fortune to acquire a collection of the artist’s work.
Fred Smith carving of a Brown Creeper:
Fred Smith. Brown Creeper.
A Tanager by Fred Smith with the marks:
Fred Smith. His Mark on a Tanager.
And on the base:
Fred Smith. His Mark on a Tanager base.
Carving of a Screech Owl by Fred Smith:
Fred Smith. 1961. Nova Scotia.
The mark:
Fred Smith. His mark.
John ‘Dave. Epp. Sculptor. Wood carver. Winnipeg, Manitoba. Active mid 20th century.
David Epp was a bird carver. The biography isn’t complete yet but he carved birds almost exclusively. He made striking carvings of every kind of bird that could be seen on the Prairie provinces. Water fowl and song birds; well mounted on ‘as found’ forest wood, often pieces of burl, and with metal legs. His carvings were beautifully painted and coloured by his wife and partner. Dave Epp always signed his carvings on the base; in Script and occasionally with the date.
Dave Epp’s carvings were sold widely and are rare. They are in public and private collections around North America. Some examples are shown below.
There are images of Dave Epp (holding a carved Bird) and his wife, the colorist, in the Mennonite Archives of Ontario. I am including a link to the page here:
http://archives.mhsc.ca/wood-carving-manitoba-winnipeg?onlyDirect=1
A Snowy Owl by Dave Epp:
Dave Epp. Winnipeg, Manitoba. Carving of a Snowy Owl. 1950’s.
A pair of carved Mallards:
Dave Epp. Winnipeg, Manitoba. Pair of carved Mallards on a stand. 1950’s.
Dave Epp. A pair of Turkeys. 1960’s:
David Epp Wood carving. 1960’s.
Richard Crowe. Sculptor. Wood carver. Halifax, Nova Scotia. Active late 20th century.
Richard Crowe carves people in situations, birds and every sort of animal. His work is bright, very colourful and often has a lot to say. Shown below is an image of his work shown at the Lunenburg Folk Festival in Nova Scotia.
Richard Crowe’s work at the Lunenburg Folk Art Festival:*
Richard Crowe. Works shown at the Lunenburg Folk Art Festival.
* Courtesy of Folk Art Maitime.
Ref: Folk Art Maritime. Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. (With thanks.)
