Michel Fortin

Michel Fortin was born in 1957 in Quebec City. From an early age, he already showed a certain aptitude for the arts. At a very young age, he was introduced to handling tools while assisting his father in the manufacture of toys and furniture.

At school, in craft classes, he developed his skills in woodworking and in visual arts classes, he excelled and even won a few competitions.

It was while working on the restoration of old Quebec furniture that he became familiar with the working methods of our ancestors. Noting the deterioration of the color, texture, and finish of wood caused by time and wear, he developed a technique that reproduces the same condition as an object that has been used for more than a century.

After extensively researching the history, objects, and toys traditionally made by artisans and fathers, he began to make his own creations. The various pieces of his works, carved from pine, are joined together with wooden pegs and then coated with colors whose secret only the artist knows. Even though his creations are contemporary, he succeeds in recreating the finish and patina of antique pieces. He draws inspiration from wildlife, both wild and domestic, as well as from Quebec's historical and legendary heritage.