Germain ST-PIERRE

Germain St-Pierre

Germain St-Pierre was born in Montreal in 1933, and grew up in Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, the “world capital of woodcarving”, with renowned sculptors such as the Ménard brothers and Jean-Julien Bourgault. This artistic environment was beneficial to the blossoming of his natural talent, the drawing.

After high school, he studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Quebec from 1952 to 1956. He then worked for several years in the manufacturing industry as a stylist while continuing to paint in his spare time. In 1966 he obtained a diploma in professional photography and, in 1968, a diploma in industrial design. He returned to Laval University in 1969 where he obtained a license in plastic arts pedagogy. Following the encouragement of a gallery owner, he made his first solo exhibition in 1984.

His deep attachment to nature and animals led him quite naturally to animal painting, which he has now been promoting for over ten years. And in his paintings, Germain St-Pierre cannot imagine the animal or the bird outside its natural habitat. He first designs and composes the environment to then integrate his subject. "The intimate and warm atmosphere that emerges from the painting interests me more than the portrait of the subject alone", he explains.

Although he feels at ease with all mediums, he has resolutely turned to acrylic which allows him greater precision in drawing and detail. However, many of his paintings are enhanced with ink wash painting, which gives even more luminosity. His great attention to detail, the quality of his lighting and drawing make Germain St-Pierre a worthy emulator of the great contemporary animal painters such as Robert Bateman, Andrew Wyeth, Bob Kuhn, Bruno Liljefors and John Schoenheer.

Germain St-Pierre, whose works can be found in excellent galleries in Quebec, is in the process of building an enviable place in Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver, in a very demanding specialty where few artists dare to venture out and succeed in imposing their style.