Clara Gingras-Boivin. Painter. Sculptor. Sainte-Foy, Quebec. Active mid 20th century.

Clara Gingras-Boivin was a painter of naive landscapes; scenes of traditional Quebec every day life and occupations. She painted cutting ice, gathering maple sap and other scenes from Quebec life. She also painted animals and buildings of the area around Ste-Foy. Clara Gingras-Boivin worked with oil paints on artist board and took her inspiration from her memories and imagination. She signed some of her work, but not many, with her first name ‘Clara’.

Clara Gingras-Boivin was also a model maker in collaboration with her husband Joseph Boivin (see the separate article on Boivin, Joseph).

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

Joseph Boivin. Sculptor. Woodcarver. Ste-Foy, Quebec. Active 1960’s-1970’s.

Joseph Boivin with his wife and partner, Clara Gingras-Boivin (Painter),  were  makers of architectural ‘bird’ houses in the form of traditional 18th and 19th century Quebec houses, churches and other structures. They worked with the original materials; they used tin, stone and other materials where the real buildings would have used them. Other ‘as found’ materials were also used to simulate flooring, interior walls and chandeliers etc.

Their model houses were often complete with interior rooms and fixtures. These model buildings were ‘bird houses’ in theory only; they were in fact architectural models. They often designed their houses from memory and imagination.

Their work was always coloured in primary ‘as found’ paint. They were cited in the records of the Canadian Centre for Folklore and in Jean Simard’s ‘Pour Passer le Temps’. When Joseph Boivin became unable to continue this work Clara Gingras-Boivin, continued the work alone. (See the separate article on Mme. Gingras-Boivin.)

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

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

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

Alban Bluteau. Painter. Baie-Saint-Paul, Charlevoix, Quebec. Active mid 20th century- .

Alban Bluteau was strongly influenced by the many different artists who came to paint in Charlevoix County. He grew up in what must have been a glorious environment, with both Academy artists, and outsider naive artists, working around him. He began to paint in his 20’s and developed a very charming naive style somewhat in the Canadian school. He paints brilliant and startling pictures of Charlevoix landscapes and seascapes in bright primary colours. He signs his work and usually titles and dates them. Shown below is an example of his work.

‘Paysage D’Hiver’ by Alban Bluteau. 1974:

Alban Bluteau. Paysage D’Hiver. 1974.

The Reverse:

Title on reverse of ‘Paysage D’Hiver’. Alban Bluteau.

Ref: G. Boulizon, Y. Daigle and A-M. Bost, Ces Peintres du Quebec et de L’Acadie. Ville Saint-Laurent.Editions du Trecarre. (1989).

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