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| Local Attractions > Artist - Claude Chaloux |
Claude Chaloux.jpg)
French sculptor Claude Chaloux was born in Quebec in 1948 and spent his childhood living in St. Jerome, QC. When he began his studies in art in 1967, he moved to Montreal and attended Ecole-des-Beaux-Arts. In 1969-1972 he attended Universite du Quebec in Montreal to obtain a BA in art and sculpting. Throughout the 1970’s Claude taught art throughout many schools in Sherbrooke, Quebec. In 1981 the relationship Claude was in brought him to Nova Scotia. He settled first in Halifax and then Dartmouth for a number of years working on his sculptures. When his relationship came to an end Claude decided to stay in the province and go back to work in the teaching profession. This decision brought him to Church Point to teach art at Universite St. Anne. Church Point reminded him of where his mother came from in Quebec, and the University with everything it had to offer, led to his decision to settle on the French Shore. He liked the idea that he could live in French in Nova Scotia; he liked the community and everything that it could offer to him. Claude taught the 1987 spring program at Universite St. Anne and then in 1988 opened his gallery in Belliveau Cove. His was the first gallery to open in the area, and the first to have a bilingual sign. Claude is currently in his 21st season with Art & Mineraux Gallery. .jpg)
Claude comes from a very creative family. His father would build all sorts of things from wood. His mother was creative with food, creating many scrumptious recipes and designs with food. She also made braided rugs. Claude says that he has been creating all of his life, when he was young he would draw. He has been sculpting since the 1970’s. In 1981 he began to do a lot more sculpting, but it was not until 1988 when he opened his gallery that he became a full-time sculptor. To Claude, creating his work is something that he needs to do, not just something that he wants to do. Art is a way to express yourself, and everyone needs a way to express themselves. Sculpting is Claude’s way of expressing himself. When he gets an idea to create, he pushes that idea as far as it can go. Some ideas he has do not take very long to bring to life and others can take years. For example, Claude has an idea he is working on now that began quite awhile ago and he keeps building on it. One day a patron visiting his gallery asked Claude if he had any tattoos. His response was “no” because he had never been able to think of a design that he would want tattooed on his skin for life. After this person left he began to think of what he could design as a tattoo. This led to many drawings that he created which he called homo erectus because that is what man began as in the scientific evolution of life. One day he was showing these drawings to another patron in his gallery. The child with the patron pointed to the drawings and declared “Monsieur.” Claude then realized that he had been successfully able to communicate his idea when even a 2 year-old child understood his concept. .jpg)
From there Claude began to created the little jewelry pieces seen to the right called homo erectus. Later he created another set of the same jewelry pieces with the arms up instead of down that he called homo sapiens. Then he moved on to creating sculptures with the homo erectus and homo sapiens idea. Eventually he began to draw them on paper and frame them. Some of these are pictured below. He then moved on to painting the homo erectus and homo sapiens on large sheets of parchment paper. The next step in his evolution of this idea is to acquire cured animal hide and begin to paint more of his homo sapiens designs on the skins to sell. Through this idea Claude was also finally able to design a tattoo that he was satisfied living with for the rest of his life, and had it tattooed on his arm. .jpg)
Claude’s art is figurative art. Most of it consists of sculptures, but he also has many paintings, creates jewelry and cards, and has a collection of gemstone rocks and semi-precious stones. His work has been displayed mostly in his own store, but also at the Bluefin. The Art & Mineraux Gallery is also featured in a brochure called the Studio Map which promotes all the studios and galleries across Nova Scotia. Other publications where the Art & Mineraux Gallery has been featured are the local Baie St. Marie guide of things to do in Clare; the Yarmouth and Acadian Shores guide to the area; Coastal Discovery Magazine; the French version of Doers and Dreamers; Saltscapes; and Travelscape Magazine. If you would like to inquire about any of the work that Claude does, or purchase something from his gallery, the Art & Mineraux Gallery is located in the heart of Belliveau Cove, N.S.; it is wheelchair accessible, and its owner is bilingual. Claude loves his work, he creates everything he sells, and sells what he likes. He loves to talk and welcomes anyone and everyone into his gallery to see his work. For more photos of Claude's work see his category in the photo gallery. .jpg)
C.P 70 Anse-des-Belliveau Nova Scotia B0W 1J0 CANADA 902-837-7145 chalouxsculpture @hotmail.com |
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