Artist Bios — Page 116 — LyleElderFolkArt.com

Heliodore Bissonnette

Born: 1890 | Died: 1965

Heliodore Bissonnette. Quebec. Painter. Mixed media. Active mid 20th century.

A primitive artist who often worked with mixed media, Heliodore Bissonnette was from Quebec City. He was known for his paintings made with water colors and fabric using bright primary colors. His work was very popular in the 1960’s and he was often shown in galleries along with Villeneuve, Cochon, and the Bouchard sisters.* Examples of two of his pictures are shown below.

*Ref: MACLEAN’S MAGAZINE. APRIL, 1965. Eber, Dorothy. “La mode est aux peintures folklorique”.

‘L’Auberge-de-la-Basilique’. A scene in Ste-Anne-de-Beaupre near Quebec City. 1960’s:

Heliodore Bissonnette. Mixed media painting. ‘Ste-Anne-de-Beaupre’

Gallery label on the reverse:

Heliodore Bissonnette. Label of Le petit Champlain Gallery. Quebec City. 1960's.

Heliodore Bissonnette. Shown at Le petit Champlain Gallery. Quebec City. 1960’s.

A village scene with ships. Mixed media. Paint and Fabric. Early 1960’s:

Heliodore Bissonnette. Painter. Quebec.

The artist’s mark:

Heliodore Bissonnette. His mark.

Location: Quebec

Marcel St. Germain

Born: Active late 20th century.

Marcel St. Germain. Sculptor. Woodcarver. Montreal, Que. Active late 20th century.

Marcel St. Germain was a carver of birds. They were always painted and often mounted on varnished Pine wood panels. His work is occasionally seen with an applied printed label on the reverse with his name and address, but his work is often not signed.

An example of a carved Bird by Marcel St. Germain is shown below:

Marcel St. Germain. Sculptor. Woodcarver. Montreal, Quebec. Bird carving.

Marcel St. Germain. His mark:

Marcel St. Germain. Woodcarver. Montreal, Que. His mark.

Location: Quebec

Ralph Eyre

Born: 1917 | Died: 2007

Ralph Eyre. Sculptor. Woodcarver. Chebogue, Nova Scotia. Active mid to late 20th century.

Ralph Eyre is best known for his whimsical and charming folk art….”the hundreds of polished bird-shapes That he and Winnie (his wife) produced yearly”. He worked with driftwood and other ‘as found’ materials in his carvings; making birds and people in situations. He was active till the end of his life. He has been widely collected privately and by museums. He signed in script and also with a stamp.

Ralph Ayre. Carving: “The Snake Charmer”:

Ralph Ayre. The Snake Charmer. 1970’s.

A carving of a Bird by Ralph Eyre:

Bird by Ralph Ayre. N.S.

His Mark:

Ralph Ayre. His mark.

Ref: Folk Art Maritime. Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. (With thanks.)

Location: Nova Scotia

Henri-Jean Blanchard

Born: Scative late 20th century.

Henri-Jean Blanchard. Sculptor. Woodcarver. Bas-Caraquet, New Brunswick. Active late 20th century.

Henri-Jean Blanchard was the light-house keeper at Bas-Qaraquet. He began carving birds in the early 1990’s. He always signed and marked the species on the base. An example of his work is the Woodpecker shown below with the mark.

Henri-Jean Blanchard. A painted carving of a Woodpecker (Pic-a-Front-Dore):

Henri-Jean Blanchard. Bas-Caraquet New Brunswick.

Henri-Jean Blanchard’s mark:

Henri-Jean Blanchard. His mark.

Location: New Brunswick

Murray Eisnor

Born: 1925 | Died: 2013

Murray Eisnor. Sculptor. Woodcarver. Martins River, Nova Scotia. Active 1970’s – 2010.

Murray Eisnor came from a family of several generations of artists and woodcarvers. He was an impressionist and made carvings of fish and birds as well as snakes when he found the right shape of tree root in the forest around his home.

His work was always painted in bright, usually ‘as found’, primary colours and he was particularly fond of Polka Dots. Mr. Eisnor carved in Spruce and Pine and painted in ‘as found’ colours; usually glossy house paint.

Murray Eisnor with a Fish in 2009: