Eric Tardif
Sculptor | Quebec, Canada
Eric Tardif Among Distinguished Artists at 55th Annual Waterfowl Festival
Eric Tardif was born in 1965 the Kamouraska region of Northern Quebec, in the French-speaking part of Canada. He studied applied ecology before turning to sculpture. It was during his sculpture courses that he came up with the idea of linking the dimensions of movement and space in the single material of wood. Since 2008, Eric has lived and worked in the Gatineau region near the Canadian capital.
The grace and beauty of birds in flight have inspired a wide variety of artistic interpretations, but none are as unique as those of Quebec artist Eric Tardif. His wooden sculptures capture the elegant and graceful movements of birds through abstract expressions.
Eric’s close encounters with birds inspired him with a creative desire to convey their beauty through art, and to achieve this, he adapted an ancient technique to realize his visions: steam bending. This technique is a process in which heat steam is used to make wooden slats flexible. Originally, this technique was used in boat and bow
construction because it allowed wood to be shaped into curved structures. Eric saw this technique as the ideal medium for his artistic ambitions and began experimenting with different types of wood such as walnut, maple, ash, and cherry. The results of his work are exquisite bird sculptures that reveal the graceful forms of birds in flight. As Eric explains, “Each piece I create is intended to reveal the complex poetry of bird life in its many forms. I have always sought, in my interpretation and production of art, to render in sculpture the sacred space of a secular world.”
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Visitors can experience Eric Tardif’s work at the 55th Annual Waterfowl Festival in Easton, Maryland, this November.
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