Leclair Peter

Article by Kathleen Hay
Standard Free Holder
September 24, 2008

Peter Leclair spent many years working as a graphic designer, but when he discovered assemblage, he knew he'd found his true passion. The Cornwall artist is one of 37 artists who will be demonstrating their skills and opening their studios to the public during the annual Apples and Art tour."

The leaves are changing, there's a crispness in the air and you're reluctantly thinking about hauling out the winter clothes.

Like it or not, fall has arrived. However, one of the most pleasant aspects of the changing season takes place during the Apples and Art studio and heritage tour. It's a wonderful opportunity to learn what makes local artists tick and where they find their inspiration.

The Cornwall artist, a graduate of St. Lawrence College's visual and creative art course, worked for several years as a graphic designer, but found his true calling when he discovered the work of Joseph Cornell, an American artist.

"I knew right away I'd found what I'd been looking for," said Leclair. "It was the language of objects, married with textures and colours. "It flew off the page to me in a way two-dimensional art never did."

His basement studio is a testament to his passion. Shelves are filled with bits and pieces like corks, plugs, drawer handles, even Crown Royal caps. There's assorted objects, like badminton racket frames and bicycle forks, hanging from the ceiling as they await new lives as objects d'art. There's works in progress, like a small mannequin frame with a black plastic spider attached to it.

On another shelf above the workspace, there are huge binders filled with notes and ideas, while power tools lie dormant waiting for the next project.

"The sculptural art form is a juggling act like no other," says Leclair. "Though its parts are solid, its context is fluid. "It lends itself to different interpretations. Even works I made many years ago, I now look at in new lights."

One of his objectives is to cultivate the viewer's inner landscape, in essence, "to seek wisdom, not knowledge and to embrace compassion, not power." Leclair uses no planned drawings or plans, but goes on pure instinct. ''You never know," he says, what material will go with another, and prefers to let the art talk to him.

"I like to call it the language of stuff," he explains. "You need to see how they speak to each other." He's particularly drawn to natural materials, like bone, wood and stone, as well as metals. If he uses a colour - which is rare - it's usually red. For him, he finds colour distracting as it conflicts with the fluidity of the art, which manifests itself in social commentary.

One of the original committee members for Apples and Art, Leclair's work has been exhibited in Toronto, Montreal, New York State and throughout eastern Ontario.

But when to know when a piece is done? "That's the dilemma, knowing when a piece is finished," said Leclair. "It occurs when you've taken away everything that's extraneous. "Simplicity is very important in this type of work."

Article by Cheryl Brink
Standard-Freeholder
December 16, 2011

CORNWALL - The Cornwall Regional Art Gallery's very first exhibitor is back this month, celebrating his 30th year as a successful local artist. J.P. Leclair has his work on
display hoping to change some perspectives on global events. "We have to get out of the mindset that conflict, war is the way to go.'' he said. "We need a psyche of co-operation.''

Much of Leclair's work is a commentary on politics and current events, though some of
his pieces can sit for months before they are completed. His studio is filled with odds and ends: scrap metal, wood, plants, and other objects. He said he often puts off finishing a project until he finds just the right pieces to put together.

"Time is never a factor in what I do,'' he said, adding that he often has several works in progress at a given time. "But the objects are very important.'' He didn't begin working on
his three-dimensional art until his career in graphic design was already in full swing.
"It wasn't satisfying for me.'' he said, noting back then he worked with paper and pencil.
Leclair added that he didn't enjoy designing other people's ideas, when he had plenty of his own that he wanted to bring to life.

He already had some experience with woodworking, so it made sense for him to start out
using wood in his early projects. "I was a very tactile person,'' he said. Now, he visits scrap metal yards, garage sales and flea markets to pick up the castoffs that eventually become his works of art. "Whatever I don't have, I make,'' he said.

Though Leclair has exhibited across and beyond the province, he was grateful for the chance to come back for his sixth show at the Cornwall Regional Art Gallery, titled the Changing Dialogue.

"It's a big milestone,'' he said of marking 30 years in the arts. "I don't take anything for granted.'' He said he doesn't plan to slow down anytime soon, as he has plenty of other ideas to bring to his studio. "I have to get more done.'' he said. "I have a lot of things to say.''

Leclair also works for SCM, and is happy to keep art as a part-time activity. "You can't force things to happen.'' he said. "That's the secret to success.''