Rejean Pipon. Sculptor. Wood carver. Anse-au-Griffon, Gaspe, Quebec.

Rejean Pipon. Sculptor. Wood carver. Anse-au-Griffon, Gaspe, Quebec. Active mid to 2010.

Rejean Pipon was perhaps best known for his over-sized and even monumental sculptures of insects that he attached to the sides of his white stuccoed house in Anse-au-Griffon; not far from Forillon on the tip of the Gaspe peninsula. He created them out of his imagination; some were smaller and some were very large. The artist once told me that he enjoyed watching his larger insect creations travelling off down highway 132 strapped to the roof of a collector’s car. He enjoyed the over-sized perspective and played with it in his art. A carved two meter long pocket knife that he kept in his studio was an example.

While his insects were a strong attraction for the passer-by; his main creations were smaller carvings of traditional Quebec scenes of people at their every-day activities. Making soap, black-smithing, harvesting in the fields and making butter were some of his favorite scenes. He carved in Cedar wood and his scenes would often include children at play. He often signed them and sometimes used color. Many are in private collections and some can be seen at the ‘Musee-de-la-Gaspesie’ in Gaspe village. He would often put carvings of black painted crows on the fence posts that surrounded his house.

There are full sized sculptures of Religious figures (including a Calvary) carved by Rejean Pipon over looking the Gulf of Saint-Lawrence at Cap-aux-Os, Gaspe. There is a photo of the Calvary posted below taken very recently; unfortunately it is in a very neglected state. As well there is an image of Rejean Pipon’s house with three of his carvings.

Rejean Pipon and his house can be seen on the cover of the book on Gaspe artists: ‘Un art pas si bete’ published in 1993.

Rejean Pipon’s House looking East: