A. Cote. Woodcarver. Sculptor. St-Guillaume (?) , Quebec. Active mid 20th century.

A. Cote made models of Quebec houses mainly in and around St.-Guillaume, Quebec. His models were highly detailed and often illuminated with electricity. They were sometimes labelled and signed.

A labelled ‘Centennial’ Quebec house in St. Guillaume, QC. By A. Cote:

A Cote. Centennial House.

Side view of the Centennial House:

A. Cote. Centennial House. Side view.

A view of the electrical wiring:

A Cote. View of Wiring.

A different house model:

A. Cote. Model Quebec House.

A. Cote. The furnished interior:

A. Cote. Interior of model house.

Paul Paradis. Sculptor. Woodcarver. Saint-Jovite, Quebec. (Laurentides)  Active 1060’s – 1980’s.

Paul Paradis made painted carvings of the people, animals and birds of the Quebec Laurentians.

He kept a souvenir/studio in the village of St-Jovite, Quebec. He was known for the larger than life sized figures  sitting in  a buggy and chairs around his shop. He made painted carvings of birds and people and door knockers in the form of woodpeckers. Hung on the wall, the bird would peck when the string was pulled.

A carving of a Woodpecker Door Knocker by Paul Paradis:

Door Knocker by Paul Paradis.

The mark of Paul Paradis:

Paul Paradis. His mark.

A view in black and white of the shop of Paul Paradis in the 1960′-70’s:

Paul Paradis. His Atelier.

Laurent Fortin. Sculptor. Woodcarver. Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, Quebec. Active 1960’s – .

Laurent Fortin was a flat-plane carver in Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, Quebec. He made carvings of traditional Quebec figures and scenes. His work was very finely done and his carvings are very expressive. He worked in Basswood (Tilleul) and occasionally Butternut (Noyer Tendre) and he usually signed his work. (Ed. note: I believe that Robert and Laurent Fortin were siblings.)

A carving of a Woman at a Spinning Wheel by Laurent Fortin:

Laurent Fortin. Flat-Plane carving of Woman Spinning. 1960’s.

Laurent Fortin. Carving of Checker Players in Butternut wood:

Laurent Fortin. Signed Checker Players in Butternut wood. c.1970.

D. B. Sculptor. Woodcarver. Laurentians area of Quebec. Active mid 20th century.

D. B. are the initials on a naive model of a mid-20th century Quebec house. It is signed on the bottom of the base in French: ‘Fait Par D. B. 1949’. The front of the house slides off showing the furnished interior – complete with light fixtures, kitchen cupboards and a mirror over the fireplace. The House has a tin roof and glass in the side windows. The round windows on the front appear to be celluloid. To make it interesting for a child perhaps; the artist incorporated into the base of the model a coin bank with a slot and a tiny padlock on a hinged door. While the mark on the base gives the date ‘1949’, the model itself appears to date from about 1930. There is a plastic Dog outside the house and a Cat in the Kitchen; they appear to be original. The model measures about 10 inches by 8 inches by 9 inches high.

A very fine example of a popular and universal concept. Many house miniatures were made with the idea of a gift to a child and many were made for fun and became something else. Most of them were ‘tour de force’ works such as this one is.

Quebec naive model of a mid-20th century house. Signed D. G.:

Miniature model of a Quebec House. G. B. 1949.

Detail A:

Quebec Miniature House.

Detail B:

Quebec Miniature House.

Detail C:

Quebec Miniature House.

Detail D:

Quebec Miniature House.

The mark of D. B.:

Quebec Miniature House. The mark.

Alfred Osborne Sears. Sculptor. Woodcarver. Montreal, Quebec. Active mid 20th century.

Alfred Osborne (A. O.) Sears was a flat-plane carver. He made carvings of Quebec characters in traditional costume as well as painted relief carvings of Laurentian cottage scenes. His wife Pearl was known to have painted his carvings. He usually signed his work “Hand Carved. A. O. Sears. Montreal”; in script with a pencil abut  with no date. His carvings are rare among the flat-plane carvers of Quebec and not often seen. They were well done and finely coloured.

A carved and painted man and woman by A. O. Sears:

A. O. Sears. Montreal. Carved pair.

The mark of A. O. Sears:

The mark of A. O. Sears.