Artist Bios — Page 144 — LyleElderFolkArt.com

Hika Wagner

Born: 1976

Hika Wagner. Painter. Weymouth, Nova Scotia. Active since the 1990’s.

Hika Wagner began painting in her teens. She worked with ‘as found’ materials and colors in the beginning and now paints on panels with acrylic colors. She is widely collected now for her charming and very sophisticated impressions of the world around her. Her paintings are full of movement and stories. As well as Polka Dots and birds. Some of her work is shown below.

Hika Wagner. An earlier painting. An Owl in a Tree:

Hika Wagner. Owl and Dragon Flies. Weymouth, Nova Scotia.

Hika Wagner. A painting of Life on the Farm:

Hika Wagner. Weymouth, N.S. The Farm.

Location: Nova Scotia

Harry Sullivan

Born: 1926

Harry Sullivan. Sculptor. Wood carver. Torbay, Newfoundland. Active late 20th century.

Harry Sullivan was a primitive artist and a maker of applied relief carvings. He worked with ‘as found’ materials and colors. He signed the reverse of his relief carvings with the name: ‘Harry’ and drew an outline of a man smoking a pipe. An example is shown below.

An applied relief carving by Harry Sullivan. An Out Port in Newfoundland:

Harry Sullivan. Torbay, NL. Applied Relief Carving.

The Reverse with his mark:

Harry Sullivan. Torbay NL. Reverse.

Two carvings by Harry Sullivan (mixed media):

Harry Sullivan. Torbay, Nfld.

The mark of the artist:

Harry Sullivan. Torbay, Nfld. The mark.

The Second carving:

Harry Sullivan. Torbay, Nfld.

The mark:

Harry Sullivan. Torbay, Nfld. The mark.

Location: Newfoundland and Labrador

Neil Levy

Born: 1926 | Died: 2011

Neil Levy. Sculptor. Wood carver. Blandford, Nova Scotia. Active late 20th Century.

Neil levy made carvings of birds; especially sea gulls and ocean fish. He carved in Black Spruce and pine and painted all his work. He signed his sculptures on the base in script and often put ‘Blandford’, the date and his telephone number. Shown below is an Orca by Neil Levy. It is about 10 inches long and is signed, dated with the title ‘Killer Whale’ and ‘Blandford’ and a Seagull.

An Orca by Neil Levy (signed and dated 2002):

Neil Levy. Wood Carver. Blandford, Nova Scotia. Orca.

A Seagull by Neil Levy with the mark:

Neil Levy. Blandford, N.S.

The Mark:

Neil Levy. Blandford, N.S.

Location: Nova Scotia

R. Leroy

Born: Active mid-20th Century.

R. LeRoy. Sculptor. Montreal, Quebec. Verdun? Active 1930’s – 1950’s. There is not a lot that we know about this artist. It appears that he worked in Montreal, Quebec or in Verdun. (And/or in Ottawa) He (or she) was a skillful artist who carved and painted the carvings in great detail. The carvings are done in the flat-plane manner that originated in Scandinavia but with much more attention paid to the facial expressions. And to their coloring. The eyes are usually painted. They are more realistic. The carvings are usually signed on the base in script: “Handcarved by R. LeRoy” with a capital R in LeRoy. (See article on J. LeRoy.)

Here is an example of R. LeRoy’s work:

R. LeRoy. Sculptor. Montreal, Quebec 1930’s.

A detail showing the signature on the base:

R. LeRoy. Sculptor. Montreal, Quebec. Signature.

Location: Quebec

Purvis

Born: 1893 | Died: 1964

John William Purvis. Sculptor. Valois, Montreal, Quebec. Active mid 20th century.

Flat-plane wood carvings, done in the Trygg manner, are occasionally found that are signed in hand on the base: “Hand carved by Purvis. Canada.” They are generally, but not always, found in the Montreal, Quebec area. They date from the early 1930’s to the late 1950’s and are always well painted. These carvings were made by John William Purvis and they were painted by his wife Dorothy Stockton (B. 1901, Lakefield, Quebec). John Purvis was born in Woodstock, New Brunswick and moved to Verdun and then Valois, Quebec, now a suburb of Montreal. John Purvis carved the traditional Quebec figures and also Historical ones as well (Military and political). His Scots carvings of kilted figures will have the Tartan name on the base. The image below is of two such carvings. The Scottish figure is of a Cameron Highlander; the Military one is, perhaps, General MacArthur. An interesting note: the bases of the Purvis carvings are applied rather than carved into the figure (similar to the Tryggs and ‘Pat’ Hannah). Unlike ‘Pat’ Hannah and the Trygg carvers; they are glued onto the figure rather than nailed.

Two Purvis carvings. Signed on the base “Cameron” and: “Hand carved by Purvis, Canada”:

Two carvings by Purvis. Cameron Highlander. And Military figure. 1940's.

Two carvings by John William Purvis. L: A Cameron Highlander. And R. A Military figure. 1940’s.

REF: My thanks to the family of the artists who have helped me with information and dates and family memories.