Alcide Leroux. Sculptor. Decoy Carver. St-Zotique, Quebec. Active mid to late 20th century.

Alcide Leroux made decorative carvings of fish and animals and was a decoy carver.  His work was very artistic, well known and sought after. Shown below is a carving of a Grey Fox done in the manner of Albert Demers – the Fox is carved out of a length of hardwood tree or branch; leaving the bark on the part forming the base of the carving. The carving is signed ‘Alcide Leroux’. It doesn’t show well in the picture because of the yellow paint on the wooden base but his mark is visible.

Alcide Leroux. Carving of a Grey Fox:

Alcide Leroux. Grey Fox. Signed.

Another view of the carved Grey Fox by Alcide Leroux:

Alcide Leroux Grey Fox.

The mark of Alcide Leroux:

Alcide Leroux. Grey Fox. The mark.

Anna-Marie Voisine. Sculptor. Wood carver. Saint-Pascal, Kamoursaka County, Quebec. Active mid 20th century.

First mentioned in “Les Patenteux du Quebec”; Mme. Voisine filled her yard and home with flowers and with painted cut-out carvings of people, animals, bird houses  and birds. Roosting birds and birds on the wing. She worked with as found materials and colours and  took her inspiration from the world around her. In an interview she said:  “mon imagination trotte la nuit”. (My imagination ‘ runs’ at night.) Anne-Marie Voisine did not sign her work.

She also carved  delicate birds in the round with applied wings. (The wings were cut from thin sheets of fibre-glass.) They were painted with bright colours and polka-dots. (One is shown below.)

Yellow Bird by Anne-Marie Voisine. 1970’s:

Anne-Marie Voisine. Saint-Pascal, Kamouraska, Quebec. Yellow Bird. 1970’s.

Ref: Les Patenteux du Qubec. Louise de Grosbois, Raymonde Lamothe and Lise Nantel, Les Editions Parti Pris, Montreal, 1978.

Eugene Saint-Onge. Sculptor. Wood carver. Nouvelle, Gaspe, Quebec. Active mid to late 20th century.

Eugene Saint-Onge made detailed carvings of wild and domestic animals and people at work. He is best known for his carvings of horse-drawn wagons and equipment used on the farm with riders  and passengers. When interviewed for a book on Gaspe folk artists he said that “his art represented his life”. (See reference below.) His carvings were usually (but not always) made of varnished Pine and well detailed; he often used lead shot for the eyes of animals.

Ref: Un Art Pas Si Bete. Cecile Gelinas, Musee de la Gaspesie, Quebec, 1993.

Leo Morin. Sculptor. Wood carver. Quebec. (Laurentians area.) Active  mid 20th century.

Leo Morin’s works are occasionally found in the Montreal area of Quebec . He made painted relief carvings of scenes in the mountains north of Montreal. His carvings datied from the 1930’s and 1940’s and were self framed – he carved the frame as part of the relief. Leo Morin always signed in script on the reverse and on the front lower right with his initials: ‘L.M’.  An example with the mark is shown below.

Leo Morin. Relief carving of a cabin in winter:

Leo Morin. Quebec. Cabin in Winter time. Relief carving.

Lero Morin. His mark:

Leo Morin. Quebec. Cabin in Winter time. Relief carving. Mark.

Rejean bernier. Sculptor. Wood carver. Grand-Vallee, Gaspe, Quebec. Active late 20th century.

Rejen Bernier comes from a few generations of a family of artists who made and sold their works along the Gaspe shore in and near Cloridorme (now Grande-Vallee) Quebec. They made models of the boats that worked along the Gaspe shore as well as carvings in the round of birds and animals of the forest.

Rejean Bernier learned from his father who he lived with and cared for until he passed away. His carvings show the delight that he takes in people and their situations in life. He usually signs his work but not always and he always paints them in bright primary colors. An example is shown below.

Rejean Bernier. The Hockey Player on the moon:

Rejean Bernier. Grande-Vallee, Quebec. Wood carver.

Rejean Bernier’s mark:

Rejean Bernier. Grande-Vallee, Quebec. Wood carver. s