Aurele Seguin. Sculptor. Wood carver. Eastern Townships, Quebec. Active late 20th century.

Aurele Seguin is a bird carver. I first found his birds in a shop  in Kamouraska and they were also found in other parts of the lower Gulf shore. He was originally from Quebec’s Eastern Townships. His birds are well carved and mounted on ‘as found’ pieces of driftwood. Always well-painted; they are usually signed on the base with a stamp.

An example of his work. Red-winged Black bird:

Aurele Seguin. Eastern Townships, Quebec. Bird carver.

His mark:

Aurele Seguin. Eastern Townships, Quebec. Bird carver. His mark.

Christian Vigneault. Sculptor. Wood carver. Aquanish, Quebec. Active late 20th century-.

Christian lives in Aquanish, a small community on Quebec’s Lower North Shore. Vigneault is a maker of model boats. He makes models of the boats that his father made and can still be seen working off the shores of Natashquan. He paints his carvings and signs his work.

Joseph-Emile Valois. Sculptor. Wood carver. Pointe-Lebel, Quebec. (B. Causapscal, Quebec.) Active late 20th century.

Joseph-Emile was the son of Elphege Valois of Causapscal, Quebec. He carved animals and people. His carvings were done in Bass wood and  sometimes painted and sometimes not. He signed with a stamp: J.E.Valois.

Alcide Leroux. Sculptor. Decoy Carver. St-Zotique, Quebec. Active mid to late 20th century.

Alcide Leroux made decorative carvings of fish and animals and was a decoy carver.  His work was very artistic, well known and sought after. Shown below is a carving of a Grey Fox done in the manner of Albert Demers – the Fox is carved out of a length of hardwood tree or branch; leaving the bark on the part forming the base of the carving. The carving is signed ‘Alcide Leroux’. It doesn’t show well in the picture because of the yellow paint on the wooden base but his mark is visible.

Alcide Leroux. Carving of a Grey Fox:

Alcide Leroux. Grey Fox. Signed.

Another view of the carved Grey Fox by Alcide Leroux:

Alcide Leroux Grey Fox.

The mark of Alcide Leroux:

Alcide Leroux. Grey Fox. The mark.

Anna-Marie Voisine. Sculptor. Wood carver. Saint-Pascal, Kamoursaka County, Quebec. Active mid 20th century.

First mentioned in “Les Patenteux du Quebec”; Mme. Voisine filled her yard and home with flowers and with painted cut-out carvings of people, animals, bird houses  and birds. Roosting birds and birds on the wing. She worked with as found materials and colours and  took her inspiration from the world around her. In an interview she said:  “mon imagination trotte la nuit”. (My imagination ‘ runs’ at night.) Anne-Marie Voisine did not sign her work.

She also carved  delicate birds in the round with applied wings. (The wings were cut from thin sheets of fibre-glass.) They were painted with bright colours and polka-dots. (One is shown below.)

Yellow Bird by Anne-Marie Voisine. 1970’s:

Anne-Marie Voisine. Saint-Pascal, Kamouraska, Quebec. Yellow Bird. 1970’s.

Ref: Les Patenteux du Qubec. Louise de Grosbois, Raymonde Lamothe and Lise Nantel, Les Editions Parti Pris, Montreal, 1978.