Antonio Matteo. Sculptor. Woodcarver. Montreal, Quebec. Active late 20th century.

There is a signed carving of a Duck by Antonio Matteo in the collection of the Canadian Museum of Civilization. it is dated in the 1990’s.

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.

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

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

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

Rene Lavoie. Sculptor. Wood carver. Baie-Saint-Paul.  Quebec. Active early to mid-20th Century.

Rene Lavoie was a sculptor of scenes from daily life in Quebec.  His carvings are full of expression and detail. And always beautifully coloured. He made carvings of people at work on the farm; in the round and  in shadow boxes as well as carvings of  animals and birds. All in wonderful color. He signed his work; sometimes by in script and sometimes with various stamps in ink. One of his marks is shown below.

He was born in Baie-Saint-Paul where he first began carving and showing his work. He established a workshop and gallery in 1944 in Pointe-au-Pic and in the late 1940’s moved to the Cote-de-Beaupre and opened a shop in Chateau-Richer.  He also had a shop in Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre where he showed his work in front of the gallery. There were often life-sized, painted carvings of people shown; carvings that sold for $200 and more. (See the image below of his studio in Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre near Quebec City.)

Rene Lavoie also was known to have made violins and mandolins  (he played these instruments himself). He had, at one point, galleries in Baie-Saint-Paul, Pointe-au-Pic, Chateau-Richer and Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre. He also sold his work through the art departments of Eatons and Simpsons stores. Rene Lavoie died in his 50th year.

A carving of a woman at an outdoor bread oven in Quebec:

Rene Lavoie. Chateau-Richer, Quebec.

Rene Lavoie. His mark:

Rene Lavoie. His mark.

Another detail. The figure is missing the paddle to remove the loaves:

Rene Lavoie. detail

A Couple. Rene Lavoie. 1930’s:

Rene Lavoie, Woodcarver. Sculpteur sur bois. Baie-St-Paul, Quebec.

Rene Lavoie. A photograph of his studio and shop:

Rene Lavoie. At work at his studio.

The Shop of Rene Lavoie in Ste-Anne-de-Beaupre, Que:

Rene Lavoie. The shop in Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre, Quebec.

A link to the Canadian Museum of Civilization website and one of his works:

http://www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibitions/tresors/treasure/107eng.shtml

Ref: Mathieu Tremblay. (2006)

A. S. Nault. Painter. Quebec. Active 19th century.