Gerard Turcotte. Sculptor. Woodcarver. Saint-Sauveur, Quebec. Active 1960’s – .

After working at the Davies Shipyard, Gerard Turcotte opened a grocery store on Dorchester Street and here in his spare time he began making miniature models of horse-drawn equipment of every kind. Transport, farm, recreation, sleighs and buggies. All interested him. He worked with wood, metal where it was used and leather for the harness, collars and bridles. Every one of them was to scale and he would spend at least forty hours on each one. While his models were horse drawn; he never made horses for them.  He made over 200 miniatures and they were on display in his store. There is no note of his having signed his work.

Ref: Jean Simard, Pour Passer Le Temps: Artistes Populaires Du Quebec, Gouvernement du Quebec, Ministere des Affaires Culturelles. 1985.

Ovide Trudel. sculptor. Woodcarver. Saint-Severin, Quebec. Active 1963 – 1970.

Ovide Trudel, after retiring from farming became a model maker. He specialized in model farm equipment, in particular traditional horse drawn farm equipement. Tools such as field rakes, harvesters, threshers, hay press as well as smaller farm and house tools such as those for working linen and wool and making butter. He also made the various waggons, buggies and sleighs found on the early farms. He worked mostly with metals where used and wood, both hardwoods and soft woods. Wooden parts were usually painted. he never signed his work. He never carved the animals that used the machinery.

Ref: Jean Simard, Pour Passer Le Temps: Artistes Populaires Du Quebec, Gouvernement du Quebec, Ministere des Affaires Culturelles. 1985.

Valerien Tremblay. Saint-Henri-de-Taillon, Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec. Active 1970’s – .

Valerien Tremblay farmed in Lac-Saint-Jean until the 1970’s when he retired and begam making miniature models of farm equipment and tools particularly the early ones using traditional methods, He also carved animals and model buildings. Including a nearly life sized Giraffe in his yard. He sometimes, but not always, painted his work.

Ref: Jean Simard, Pour Passer Le Temps: Artistes Populaires Du Quebec, Gouvernement du Quebec, Ministere des Affaires Culturelles. 1985.

Adrienne Samson-Fortier. Saint-Prosper, Cte Beauce, Quebec. Active mid to late 20th C.

Adrienne Samson Fortier modeled the world around her. Using every kind of ‘as found’ material including wood – Pine cones- glass etc. She made decoupage objects in paper and plywood; painting them always. She carved small animals and made models of buildings. She sometimes used sugar cubes and attached  pieces of glass to make things sparkle. Her tools were simple and all her materials were ‘as found’. She never signed her work.

Ref: Jean Simard, Pour Passer Le Temps: Artistes Populaires Du Quebec, Gouvernement du Quebec, Ministere des Affaires Culturelles. 1985.

Alphonse Rivard. Sculptor. Woodcarver. Saint-Prime, cte Lac-Saint-Jean-Ouest, Quebec. Active 1970’s – .

Alphonse Rivard made miniature models, almost exclusively. He made models of every kind of horse-drawn farm wagon or machine. As well as Cutters, Sleighs and carriages. He made them by site and memory, without drawings or patterns. He worked in Pine and other materials and always painted his models.

Ref: Jean Simard, Pour Passer Le Temps: Artistes Populaires Du Quebec, Gouvernement du Quebec, Ministere des Affaires Culturelles. 1985.