At La Fabrique, art is tattooed on the walls. About fifteen artists are represented at all times, and you can enter their world by admiring their art.
Our artists
Adèle Blais
Collage painter artist
Quebec collage painter Adèle Blais, who has nearly 20 years of artistic practice, employs a unique and personal creation technique, primarily using acrylic and various collage materials. Representing mostly female characters, Blais focuses her work on gender equality issues and aims to rehabilitate the contribution of women in History by bringing lesser-known stories to light.
Since its inception, its production has been the subject of several projects and publications, and the majority of its works are now part of private collections. His work has also been presented in numerous solo and group exhibitions, and his pictorial approach is part of the suggestions from the national service of RÉCIT in the field of arts (Ministry of Education).
His work has been exhibited, among others, in Hong Kong, London, Stockholm, New York, San Francisco, Miami, New Orleans, Houston, Toronto, Montreal, and Sherbrooke.
Gaëlle Roy (Cât)
Author and multidisciplinary artist
Gaëlle Roy is ten years old, she is curious, full of energy, and has many projects. Her interests include cats, wolves, sciences such as astronomy, biology, botany, and mycology. She also loves literature of all kinds. She feels lucky to have the time to read at least three hours a day. She loves to create and illustrate her own stories.
Later, she would like to live in an environment where there are a lot of wolves. She would like to live in the forest, as it is home to more than half of the planet's land species of animals, plants, and insects. She would like to become a mycologist; this kingdom of living beings intrigues her a lot. She would also like to take care of a million cats!
Gaëlle has been homeschooled since she was five. This type of education fills her daily life with inspiring activities. That is why Gaëlle’s works narrate a daily life of learning where imagination, creation, and wonder intertwine with her essence. She describes her artistic genre as sometimes dark, magical, and inspired by the game Dungeons and Dragons. She loves the geek-type universe.
Gaëlle is convinced that every child has the natural ability to create. She is proud to share this innate fiber of creativity with you through her works.
Eric Chouteau (Sans Cravate)
Illustrator (and muse!)
Éric Chouteau-Tissier studied animation cinema at Concordia University and worked as an animator and illustrator for various studios in Montreal. Out of a thirst for freedom, he took the pseudonym "Sans Cravate" and moved to the Eastern Townships to work as an illustrator and graphic designer for clients both Canadian and European. With a style all his own, he simplifies shapes to give them dynamism and simplicity, then adds just the right amount of original details so that a strong personality imbued with whimsy shines through. He is responsible, among other things, for the animation of the La Chasse-Galerie segment on Télé-Québec, the visuals for the popular soap collection from Savonnerie des Diligences, as well as the packaging for products from Microbrasserie des Cantons.
Over nearly 15 years of collaborations, Eric has become much more than a collaborator: a partner, a friend, a brother. He has an understanding of the medium; he consistently succeeds in marrying art with consumer products while creating an absolutely distinct visual. Over the years, more than 200 visuals have been created by Eric for Savonnerie des Diligences, Refuge, mountain café, and now, la Fabrique! Long live!
Marsi
Comic artist and illustrator
Marsi sees himself as a lover of nature and the sciences that describe it. He is intrigued by everything, and if he could live in a natural history museum or a vast library, he would be delighted. But beware, this would never happen without his muse, Venice, his chihuahuas, and his cats.
His training in graphic design led him to work extensively in small and large illustration and animation film companies, only to realize that it was essential for him to create his own works. His publications can be found at Éditions de la Pastèque, Glénat Québec, Québec Amérique, and Chauve-Souris. For Marsi, drawing is like breathing; his time is measured in pencil strokes.
Marsi, Venice, Marie-Eve, La Savonnerie, a love story that has lasted for a long time. It started with cinnamon soap sold by Venice and Marsi at an expo, custom Miam Miam soaps in 2011 that inspired Marie-Eve's legends project, followed by numerous collaborations... Illustrations of marine animals for the bathrooms of the new building in Austin to the creation of new sea monsters for the Refuge, the reissue of Miam Miam soaps in 2017 as a reminder.
Amélie Desjardins
Multidisciplinary and nomadic artist
Desjardins highlights the fusion of sedentary life (the tree) and adventure (boats and bridges). It uses the metaphor of the tree, which necessarily transforms through the ages. The work emphasizes the accumulation of scars, fossils, and memories over the passage of time and the omnipresence of nature. Its approach relies both on the recovery of driftwood and a lyrical vision of the passage of time.
Desjardins is a nomad... and to find the materials she uses, she travels the world by train, motorcycle, camper, or sailboat. She and her family roam the beaches around the world in search of wrecks and washed-up treasures. She builds her works from the debris of bridges and boats, juxtaposing poetic images on these recovered structures.
Her work can be seen as an allegory of the life of a tree, giving it a unique tribute. Desjardins' work is part of private collections and museums. For 15 years, residencies, solo exhibitions, and national and international artistic events have followed one another.
A great friendship story connects the Desjardins-Dagenais family and Hébert-Lejour. A sale of frames, a trip in a camper, Bali, Mexico, Bolton-Est, Eastman, the spas, life, you name it.
Jacinthe Roy
Painter
Jacinthe Roy is a self-taught painter, she resides and works in Bolton-Est. She is trained in visual arts by seasoned teachers, including Renée Noreau and Caroline Archambault. For more than 20 years, she has participated in over 1,000 hours of creative workshops with several recognized teachers including Samir Kashami. She has exhibited her works in galleries several times and participated in symposiums.
She has been teaching visual expression workshops for 14 years. She provides the necessary tools to cross the doors of abstraction. Exploring her creativity is returning to the source of her energy.
Dare... Jacinthe will welcome you!
Karine Bernier
Illustrator and graphic designer
Curiosity piqued at a very young age by the arts, Karine Bernier truly found her voice when she studied visual arts and graphic design at Cégep de Sherbrooke. With 17 years of experience in graphic design and illustration, she has several strings to her bow. Her projects are tinged by her passion for illustration, typography, color, and movement. Inspired by everything related to art, her approach is mainly marked by the fusion of graphic design and illustration. Her professional journey has led her to use various techniques, from the good old pencil to the graphic tablet, which form a whole that is both rich in texture and vibrant colors.
Her illustrations have a simple composition that gives significant importance to typography. Indeed, each piece aims to be the culmination of an artistic reflection triggered by a sound or a phrase. As a freelance worker, Karine uses her talents for commercial purposes for various clients in Canada.
Carole Audran
Photographer
After studying photography in Paris, I decided to specialize in monochrome photography, in black and white and blue and white with cyanotype. Monochrome photography has this gift of going to the essence. In my early days, I developed my films and made my prints. With the evolution from film to digital, I had lost this approach. Thanks to the cyanotype technique, I have rediscovered it with a simplified and eco-friendly process. Cyanotype is an old photographic process, the recipe for which has not changed since 1842. The technique produces unique and authentic images where everything is done by hand. Its Prussian blue adds something soft, calm, and soothing. My work is to illuminate nature. I want to show its beauty and delicacy. The message is to take the time to admire it and to raise public awareness about its preservation and respect. We are part of an ecosystem that must be kept alive for our balance on our blue planet. My series is called "Gaïa in Blue," in homage to the goddess of Greek mythology personifying the Earth.
Daniel Galarneau
Painter and "sower of sweetness"
Daniel Galarneau, known by the artist name DAG or “the Sower of Sweetness,” is an emerging painter from Mascouche, Quebec. From a young age, he developed a passion for drawing and visual arts, which profoundly touch all his senses.
Although attracted to art, Daniel first pursued a career in engineering and held a municipal manager position for nearly 30 years. It was only in 2022 that he decided to dedicate more time to his artistic vocation. A self-taught artist, he started with acrylic painting, inspired by two artist friends.
Later, he turned to digital art, where he brings his imagination to life through works printed on canvas. Guided by the intuition of the moment, DAG strives to translate beauty, kindness, and human fragility in each of his creations. He positions himself as a sower of sweetness, offering artworks and greeting cards that touch hearts. His creations are available online, reflecting his desire to make art accessible and a bearer of kindness.
Annie Lafrenière
Ecodesigner
I have always been captivated by the magic of nature. For me, to this day, no human invention compares to a flower, a drop of water, or a feather. I believe that what brings us closest to this magic is art. I spent the first 30 years of my active life teaching dance; the magic flowed through the bodies. All this time, parallelly, I also created with textiles, making costumes for the students with what I had on hand.
In the universe, everything transforms; I changed the way I express myself to spread my wings with sewing. It is akin to the tree that transforms CO2 into oxygen and the caterpillar that transforms into a butterfly that I collect fabrics considered at the end of life to connect them with a thread of passion. I love putting my creativity and sewing in the service of nature.
Annie sewed our duvet covers, our curtains from recycled fabric, and she is part of the inspiration for La Fabrique project!
Pascale Gagné
Painter, collage artist and author
Born in the Saint-Léonard neighborhood of Montreal in 1961, I am the eldest of a family of three children. I grew up in an environment that emphasized education, culture, the arts, and a love of the French language. Coming from a lineage of teachers, both my parents and grandparents, I followed this path. I graduated with a degree in visual arts in 1980, earned a bachelor's degree in art history in 1984, and then in pedagogy in 1986, I pursued a career as a teacher. I brought five wonderful children into the world and lived abroad, specifically in Germany, from 1993 to 1996.
Once my little ones left the family nest, the time for retirement arrived, and in 2019, I began offering creative workshops that were put on hold during the pandemic. In 2022, I left the South Shore of Montreal for the Eastern Townships where I found an environment and space conducive to creation. Since I love sharing, I occasionally lead art workshops within my community. I receive requests for custom paintings, often accompanied by a poem honoring the person to whom the artwork is addressed. By offering this kind of creative project, I admit to feeling a great satisfaction.
Blanche Paquette
Visual arts artist
My artistic practice is nourished by the philosophical teachings inspired by the genius of the natural world and those that I distill from the sensitive intelligence of living beings.
The human adventure is multidimensional and necessarily chaotic. I explore this chaos that can be made both reducible and expandable at will, and I grasp it with the geometry of the circle and acrylic painting on canvas. I study the space we inhabit between philosophy and matter, silence and expression, discipline and letting go, dynamism and comfort, individuation and collectivization. I foresee that everything coexists with the right timing.
Today, I recover and transform the high-resolution prints of my acrylic paintings on canvas. I resume my trajectory as an artist, always with environmental concern, and because my imagination gets carried away, especially when I offer it the words HOLD ON. Complete your own form, never fear losing yourself, become impeccable as much as you can! Note: When I was asked, I initiated creativity workshops in all sorts of circumstances and for different age or interest groups. Stepping out of the solitude of my studio to meet others and reflect on our existence, on the extraordinary fact of being alive despite everything, is part of a creativity that I still cherish to this day.
Arielle Caplette
Photographer
It all started in 2021, when I would spend hours photographing all kinds of textures, colors, and shapes on mosses, mushrooms, leaves, insects, flowers, and everything that could surround me. In the evening, I would meet with my family to share and admire the beauty of nature photos through my eyes.
It was thus that the passion for close-up photography blossomed in me. Since then, I have been working on this project, always and even more inspired by Nature.
Stéphane Hébert
Cabinetmaker and "Rugged"
Always a jack-of-all-trades and creative, resourceful and entrepreneurial, he anticipated his "retirement project", woodworking, at the turn of a workplace accident - life forced him to stop. After spending 20 years traveling the roads of North America in the field of
greenhouses and structural steel, he settles down with his sweetheart in grand projects that smell good. You guessed it, Stéphane Hébert is in love with Marie-Eve Lejour!
Stéphane and Marie-Eve have collaborated for more than ten years on several projects related to the Soap Factory (kiosks, shops, layouts) and the Refuge, mountain café. They are the instigators of La Fabrique, accommodation, art, and nature. In addition to doing all the layouts, Stéphane found himself making the beds... You could even order one!
He loves documentaries and is curious about everything related to history, civilization, and unsolved mysteries. Although he loves working with wood during the day and listening to woodworking segments in the evening to relax (he enjoys watching others work!), he also has a passion for warm travels and dreams of spending his winters in the South. Who knows, maybe one day the project of La Fabrique will allow him to do so!
Carmen Simoneau and
Gérald Langlois
Reclaimed cabinet makers
In love and partners for now 50 years, with hearts younger than ever, Carmen and Gérald have had a passion for barn wood forever, for recovery, and love to bring forth new creations from materials that have soul and a story.
What excites them is creating beauty and meeting the people behind the projects. They have been an integral part of the Fabrique project from the beginning, starting with a mirror bought on Marketplace (the one in the darkroom!) and it is thanks to them that we are so well furnished! They made the bedside tables, the dressers of the two largest bedrooms, the mirrors, the clothing racks, the sideboard for the coffee machine, the library, the small side tables, the bathroom cabinet.
We are very grateful to have met them and we have made friends! Talk to them about your project, and you will see the light in their eyes!
Nicole Gélineau
Reclaimed cabinet makers
Jack-of-all-trades, tinkerer, playful, big dreamer, Nicole or Tico spreads magic wherever she goes, with a bit of sparkle! She loves everything that is organic; trees, mushrooms, and rocks are her friends. Whether it's sewing, crocheting, drawing, or linocutting, no medium can resist her. She finds poetry in every occasion with an overflowing love for original Halloween costumes, and she astonishes or surprises with her creativity that far exceeds the frame. She is a generous woman that Marie-Eve seeks to keep in her ecosystem, as her good mood is contagious! Formerly a shopkeeper in Bromont, she collaborated with the Savonnerie, and now she is one of the artisans of the Fabrique. Our little birdie tells us that she is not done amazing us!
Marie-Eve Lejour
Doula, entrepreneur and creator
Marie-Eve Lejour is known and recognized as the founder of the Savonnerie des Diligences, nearly 20 years ago. Trained in French studies (UdeM 1998) and business management (HEC), she claims that her best school is her company. She is described as inspiring, creative, innovative, and deeply human. After putting creativity at the service of her company for several years, she then applied her innovative vision to benefit her employees, creating a management style focused on talents, the full exercise of potential, and even big life dreams. She transferred the Savonnerie des Diligences to Anne Bastide in May 2024 after 18 years at the helm. Marie-Eve wants to have more impact and reach. She serves other entrepreneurs as a strategic advisor, a role she has already taken on informally for several years as a mentor to various companies. She is recognized in the Quebec entrepreneurship community as a "creator of wealth" in the community, instigator of several co-creation initiatives, including Open mic and Open mic entrepreneurs nights throughout the fall of 2024, at the entrepreneurship HQ in Sherbrooke. In December 2024, she opens with her partner La Fabrique, accommodation, art, and culture, in the former factory of the Savonnerie des Diligences.
