Canadian Folk Art and Outsider Art
Roy (Roosevelt) Penny. Sculptor. Cape Sable Island, Nova Scotia. Active late 20th century. The last name may be spelled ‘Penney’.
Roy Penny was one of the Cape Sable artists. He carved and painted decoys and made other ornamental carvings of birds; particularly water birds. All in paint.
An example of his work with a mark:
Roy Penny. Woodcarver. Southside Nova Scotia. Ornamental Duck carving.
Roy Penny. His mark.
Bob Chivers. Sculptor. Port Mouton, Nova Scotia. Active mid to end of 20th century.
Bob Chivers was a sculptor, bird watcher and folk artist. He was active in promoting the Lunenburg Folk Art Festival; often buying works at the Festival auctions and donating them to museums. He made many painted carvings; mainly of the birds of Nova Scotia but other areas as well. An afternoon with Bob Chivers, over tea, and talk of birds, art and his experiences with both, was never forgotten.
Mr. Chivers and a couple of friends. He is on the right:
Bob Chivers with the Bouthilier Brothers. 1980’s.
A group of artists and Chris Huntington:
Chivers-auction. Crowther and Brayley. Sept. 2008.
A sample of his carvings from the Crowther and Braley sale of his estate (2008):
Bob Chivers. Some carvings.
(Pictures: Crowther and Braley Ltd. Auctioneers.)
Edouard McCann. Sculptor. Sillery, Quebec. Active late 20th century.
M. McCann makes naive and beautiful smaller scale carvings of people and life on the farm, as well as the animals and wildlife around it. He also carves traditional scenes and from his imagination. All in Pine wood and as found materials and all in paint. Edourd McCann signs his work.
A link to an article (in French) about Edourd McCann:
http://pages.infinit.net/cvpv/artisan/mccann/set_mc2.html
Images of Edouard McCann’s work can be seen at the link below.
A link to a biography (French Language) and writings of M. McCann’s work from Jean Provencher; a keen and charming observer of Quebec City area folk-lore and the artists there:
http://jeanprovencher.com/2011/05/31/edouard-mccann/
Berchmans Charest. Sculptor. Wood carver. La Mauricie, Quebec. Active since the 1990’s.
Taught wood carving by his father, also an artist, M. Charest’s range is very wide. He carves many religious themes (Crucifix carvings are a favorite) as well as animals from the farms of Quebec.(He was raised on a farm.) He also works traditional subjects, wild animals, birds and has made articulated carvings of people and characters.
He works with Basswood and Poplar and always paints and signs his works; usually with the date.
An example of his early work. A bas relief carving of a woman:
Berchmans Charest. Mauricie Quebec. Relief carving of a Lady.
And the Signature:
Berchmans Charest. Detail of a Lady.
A carving of a Cow:
Berchmans Charest. La Mauricie Quebec. Carving of a Cow.
A sample of his mark:
Berchmans Charest. His Mark. Reverse of a Crucifix.
Berchmans Charest. The Crucifix:
Berchmans Charest. The Cricifix.
Berchmans Charest at a gathering of artists:
Berchmans Charest.
Fred Trask. Painter. Digby, Nova Scotia. Active since the 1970’s.
Fred Trask almost always paints a story. He paints on ‘as found’ materials and surfaces and objects with acrylic paint. His work is naive, primitive and quite sophisticated. He often paints rooms, rooms with tongue and groove flooring and walls and windows with a view. He signs his work on the front and the back and uses a red stamp with his name and mark.
A sample of his work. From the 1990’s. His Father’s Barber shop. In this painting everything is tongue and grooved and there are two bright blue windows; someone is leaning in and listening to the story:
Fred Trask. His Father’s Barber Shop. Acrylic on panel.
Fred Trask. The stamp and signature used by him:
Fred Trask. His mark.
