LyleElderFolkArt.com > An Index of Canadian Folk Artists

Ralph Boutilier,

Born: 1906  |  Died: 1989

Ralph Boutilier. Sculptor. Painter. Woodcarver. Milton, Nova Scotia.  Active mid-20th century.

Ralph Boutilier was an accomplished painter very early in his life and turned to carving in the 1960’s. While he has made carvings, some life-sized, of people; he is most known for his elaborate mechanical whirligigs of metal and wood in the form of  various kinds of birds. His whirligigs tended to be big and rather heavy and often required considerable wind to drive them. They are essentially concept sculptures.He has been published and is in Museum and private collections throughout North America.

Ref: Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, A Life of Its Own Chris Huntington and the Resurgence of Nova Scotia Folk Art (1997).

Ref: Nova Scotia Folk Art Festival Society, A Joyous Vision – Contemporary Folk Art in Nova Scotia(1995).

Ref: Marie Elwood. Folk Art of Nova Scotia. Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. Halifax. 1976.

Ref: Blake McKendry, An Illustrated Companion to Canadian Folk Art (1999).

A short film from the CBC Archives. Web link:

http://www.cbc.ca/archives/categories/lifestyle/pastimes/handmade-in-canada-the-art-of-craft/ralph-boutilier-folk-artist.html

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Ronald Barber

Born: Active mid 20th century - .

Ronald Barber. Sculptor. Woodcarver. Orono, Ontario. Active mid 20th century – .

Ronald Barber made painted carvings of human figures and birds.

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George Cocayne

Born: 1906  |  Died: 1986

George Cocayne. Sculptor. Woodcarver. Madoc. Ontario.  Active mid 20th century.

A primitive artist; George Cocayne worked with ‘as found’ materials and colors. His favorite theme was spirit masks, highly colored and deeply carved in round blocks of Pine. He also carved  animals and figures; he preferred ‘as found’ materials from the forest such as roots and branches and colours. He was very collected during his life time and well shown in galleries and collections and publications. Examples of his work are in the collections of The Canadian Centre for Folk Lore Studies.

A link to The Marmora Historical Foundation site for a history and images of Cocayne’s work:

http://www.marmorahistory.ca/george-cocayne-folk-artist/

 

Ref: Steven Inglis, The Work of George Cocayne. The National Museum of Canada. 1983.

Ref: Canadian Centre for Folklore Studies. Canadian Museum of Civilization.

Ref: Artists in Canada, Union list of Artist’s files. National Gallery of Canada. 1982.

Ref: Blake McKendry, An Illustrated Companion to Canadian Folk Art (1999).

 

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Orel Leboeuf

Born: 1886  |  Died: 1968

Orel Leboeuf. Sculptor. Decoy carver. Saint-Anicet. Quebec.

Active early to mid-20th century. His decoys were very detailed and highly decorative.

 

An Example of his work:

 

Orel Leboeuf. Decoy. St. Anicet Quebec.

Orel Leboeuf. Decoy. St. Anicet Quebec.

 

Ref: An Illustrated Companion to Canadian Folk Art. Blake McKendry, Kingston, Ontario. 1999.

Ref:Kobayashi/Bird, A Compendium of Canadian Folk Artists (1985)

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Rosaire Leblanc

Born: 1901  |  Died: 1971

Rosaire Leblanc. Sculptor. Wood carver. Sainte-Sophie, Cte of Nicolet, Quebec.  Active mid-20th century.

Rosaire Leblanc created primitive painted wood carvings. He was also known for his bird carvings and has been collected by Museums and private collectors in Quebec and elsewhere. There is a Wood pecker (‘Pic dore’) carved by him in the McCord Museum collections in Montreal.

Ref: Francois-Marc Gagnon. Vie des Arts. Vol. 20, No. 82, Spring 1976. “La Voliere Enchantee”. A description of an exhibition of Bird carvings and the sculptors at the McCord museum in 1976.

Link to a PDF (in French): https://www.erudit.org/culture/va1081917/va1186410/55033ac.pdf

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