Canadian Folk Art and Outsider Art
Albert Geisel. Sculptor. Woodcarver. Elmira, Ontario. Active mid 20th century.
Albert Geisel was a primitive artist who made sculptures out of ‘as found’ materials such as wood, metal plastic, glass and found objects.
Ref: An Illustrated Companion to Canadian Folk Art. Blake McKendry, Kingston, Ontario. 1999.
Ref:Kobayashi/Bird, A Compendium of Canadian Folk Artists (1985).
Alphonse Toussaint. Sculptor. Woodcarver. Saint-Jean-port-Joli, Quebec. Active mid-20th century.
Alphonse Toussaint was a nephew of the three brothers. He joined the studio of Andre Bourgault in the mid to late 1930’s and made painted carvings of Quebec people in traditional costume. His carvings were well made with distinct and very expressive faces. Signed examples of his work are rare but can be found. He signed usually in script: Alphonse T. Bourgault or Alph. Toussaint Bourgault and simply Alphonse Toussaint. I have not seen a mark with a hyphen. It is my understanding that his family name is Toussaint and he (as did his brother Leon Toussaint) used ‘Bourgault’ to identify with the studios of his well-known uncles (where they both were working at the time). He married Cecile Bernier in 1943.
A pair of carvings by Alphonse Toussaint ( Bourgault) with his mark:
Alphonse Toussaint Bourgault . Early 1940’s.
The mark of Alphonse T. Bourgault:
Alphonse Toussaint Bourgault. His mark in script.
Another mark. Alph. Toussaint Bourgault:
Alphpnse Toussaint Bourgault. His mark.
A carving of a Woman by Alphonse Toussaint (3rd Mark):
Alphonse Toussaint. Woman. 1930s.
Alphonse Toussaint. Third mark:
Alphonse Toussaint. 3rd Mark.
From La Dictionnaire des Artistes de Langue Francais en Amerique du Nord:
Nelson Surette. Painter. Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. Active mid to late 20th century.
Nelson Surette taught himself to paint when he was very young. He painted with his fingers and used a brush for final work. His subjects were the scenes of Acadian daily life on Nova Scotia’s French shore. His palette was muted and his work was very powerful. He painted the story of the early Acadian settlers of Maritime Canada.
A link to an article on Nelson Surette. Art gallery of Nova Scotia web site:
https://www.artgalleryofnovascotia.ca/exhibitions/nelson-surette-le-retour
John J. Kenyon. Painter. Washington, Ontario. Active 1890’s – 1930’s.
J. J. Kenyon settled in Blair, Ontario in the 1890’s where he became a photographer and a painter. He used the medium of photography to further his paintings; travelling to fairs and horse shows to photograph animals that he would later paint. Mr. kenyon followed the ‘Grand Circuit’ horse races where he would paint the portraits of winning horses and then sell them to the owners of the horses.
A link to the Wellington County Museum and Archive site with some background on J. J. Kenyon:
Ewald Rentz. Sculptor. Woodcarver. Beardmore, Ontario. Active 1970’s to 1990’s.
Ewald Rentz was born in the U.S. and grew up in Manitoba; eventually moving to northern Ontario. He became a sculptor when he retired in the 1970’s. He worked with ‘as found’ shapes of tree branches and roots; shaping them with home made wood fillers, knives and chisels. His work was always colored and usually signed; always after he became well known in the 1980’s. Ewald Rentz was inspired by the human condition; making carvings that were often humorous and always tongue in cheek.
“He has talked frequently of his ability to find interesting forms “in” the objects he picks up, bringing them to expression by small modifications of carving, painting or building-up with plastic wood. He thus has been able to make a turkey for remarkably little modification of the fugus-form from which it is derived.”
Ref: From the Heart: Folk Art in Canada, Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, c1983.
Some examples are shown here.
Ewald Rentz. Carving of a bear with his Lunch:
Ewald Rentz. A Bear with his Lunch Pail.
Ewald Rentz. The Wedding:
Ewald Rentz. The Wedding.
Ewald Rentz. Winnipeg Bound. His textured and carved wood fillers can be seen here:
Ewald Rentz. Beardmore, Ontario.
