East Coast 2022: Back to Toronto - Dartmouth to St. Flavie, Quebec (Centre d'Art Marcel Gagnon)

After spending 3 days driving from Toronto to Nova Scotia with our friends Yim and Murray, and 9 days spent touring the province including Cape Breton Island, it was finally time for my husband Rich and I to make the 3 day drive back home.  We would once again drive north-west through New Brunswick and Quebec to get to the St. Lawrence River but would make different stops along the way.  On the way out to Nova Scotia, we took the Trans Canada Highway all the way to Edmundston, N.B., as this was the quickest route to reach our first stop for the night.  On the way back, we planned a more leisurely drive along Route 132, hugging the south shore of the St. Lawrence in order to see all the sights found there.  To accomplish this, Rich selected St. Flavie, Quebec as our destination where we would stay overnight on the first night of our journey home.

Heading off first thing in the morning, our first rest stop was at Masstown, Nova Scotia where there was a complex with a huge market, creamery and seafood shop.  At the Masstown Market, we had a quick breakfast of coffee, a breakfast sandwich and a Danish.  We also picked up some crackers, crab and lobster spreads, pepperoni sticks and wild blueberries that we could eat later in the day for lunch, if we found a good stopping point for a picnic.  Catch of the Bay seafood shop was situated in a lighthouse with an observation deck that promised a great panoramic view.  Unfortunately, it had rained the day before and the steps up were too wet to safely navigate.  It was still fun wandering around seeing the live lobsters swimming in the tank and the fresh seafood on display.  We didn’t have enough cooler space or ice or anywhere to cook seafood, so we did not buy anything here.  I was amused by the chocolate bars with the anthropomorphic lobster faces on the wrapping that were labeled “Shell-Shocked”.  Outside, Murray found a sign showing the height of the world’s highest tides which are found at the nearby Bay of Fundy.  The marker depicting the height of these tides was well over his head, so being almost a foot shorter, I would have had no chance!

The Masstown Creamery Cafe and Shop had some cool souvenirs including decorative wooden boards shaped like lighthouses and sea horses, with a lacquered-like finish made to resemble beach and ocean views.  Yim found a ceramic serving plate shaped like 3 large oyster shells and purchased that as a souvenir.

As we drove through Bathurst, New Brunswick, we found some picnic tables by the harbour which was a perfect stopping spot for lunch.  We brought out all of our goodies that we purchased at the Masstown Market, plus some bags of Covered Bridge potato chips that we still had left over from the huge purchase that we made at the chip factory at the beginning of our trip en route to Nova Scotia.  Continuing on, we spotted interesting sights along our drive through New Brunswick.  In Petit Rocher, there was a turret with a funky roof in  that made it look more like a silo, and in Point-Verte, we passed a fun metal sculpture.  So many towns in New Brunswick had French names that I had to doublecheck that we had not ventured into Quebec.  At Tidehead, NB. we had to stop at the Morrisey Rock Park to admire the gorgeous view.

While researching and planning for our East Coast road trip and looking for a place to spend the night by the St. Lawrence River, Rich came across Centre d’Art Marcel Gagnon in St. Flavie, Quebec.  This is a complex comprised of a hotel (or auberge), restaurant, art gallery and boutique situated right on the south shore, all featuring the works of painter and sculptor Marcel Gagnon.  Originally a landscape painter, Gagnon’s subsequent works are filled with mystical and religious iconography, often featuring oblong forms that he both paints and creates sculptures of.  When we arrived at the centre, we were met with various large art pieces.  There was what looked like a gigantic wooden totem pole lain on its side with seats carved into either end and various oblong figures carved in the middle.  Concrete versions of these figures lined the driveway and the path leading to the beach. By the restaurant was a much larger female(?) figure, holding a flowerpot with faces carved into it. She seems to be covered by a multi-coloured mosaic robe with a hood and long train, or perhaps these are actually tentacles of some sort of sea creature?  I guess it is open to interpretation.

What first caught Rich’s attention about Centre d’Art Marcel Gagnon were online images of a massive outdoor art display that Gagnon created in 1986 and named “Le Grande Rassemblement” or “The Great Gathering”.  As soon as he saw the images, Rich knew that I would love this place, and he was right! Walking through a mosaic-covered arch to reach the beach, we are presented with an amazing sight.  Over 80 life-sized sculptures made from reinforced concrete weighing over 685kg each are positioned out into the St. Lawrence River.  Viewed from afar, they appear to be storming towards the shore and continuing onto the beach.  Each figure has a uniquely carved face and possibly some hair.  Some of the ones that we could get close to on the beach appear to be wearing clothing with buttons and lapels.  A few of the figures are distinctly female but many of them have been so weathered over time by the elements that they have become androgynous.  At first glance, it felt like this was a Zombie invasion with creatures emerging from the sea.  In 1992, Gagnon added wooden rafts with cloth sails attached to them.  Sitting on the rafts are more of these concrete figures, some with bandanas tied to their heads to appear like marauding pirates.  It is said that in high tide, the boats look like they are “taking off to new horizons”.

After racing around like excited school children to inspect all the outdoor sculptures, we finally stepped into the main building to check in and drop off our bags.  To our delight, even the key chains of our room keys featured images of Gagnon’s oblong figures.  In the lobby of hotel, we were overwhelmed by the huge mural that was not just floor to ceiling but spanned the floor and the ceiling.  It seemed to depict a group of long, lanky, Modigliani-esque people waiting their turn to transform into angels and ascend to heaven? 

Marcel Gagnon is not just an artist but also a poet.  Plaques displaying some of his poems are found around the grounds including one titled “Être” which espouses the importance of being yourself, but cautions that for that to happen, you must first allow others to be themselves.  In the hotel, a painting of the figures from Le Grand Rassemblement is captioned by a short poem that loosely translates to the following: “ I looked beyond the wide river.  I looked higher than the last cloud.  I discovered the immensity of my being”.  More paintings decorate the walls of the hallways as well as each of our rooms.  This was such a cool place to stay.  My only regret was in selecting the more economical rooms on the side of the building not facing the water.  Not only did we not have the stunning views that the rooms on the other side would have had, but our rooms were also much smaller.  If we ever come back, we will be sure to splurge and get a “Sea View” room.  In the meantime, we did find the exit that brought us directly down to the beach and were able to envision what our views could have been like.

In the same building as the hotel and restaurant is an Art Gallery which features even more paintings and sculptures by Marcel Gagnon.  Also on permanent display are works by his daughter Isabel who paints large flowers in acrylic, his son Guillaume who uses acrylic, oils and watercolours to paint bright, whimsical paintings of children at play with vivid scenic backgrounds, and his wife Ghislaine Carrier who paints wispy, ethereal works in watercolour.  It appears that artistic talent runs in the family!  Exhibitions of works by other local artists are shown on a rotating basis.

Wandering out to explore the community of St. Flavie, we first admired the massive structure named “Artist’s House” that was situated right next to the Centre d’Art Marcel Gagnon.  Purchased in 1994 to be used as the original location of the  art gallery, it became the residence of Marcel and Ghislaine a few years later when the gallery and inn moved to the current building.  Renovations on and additions to this house began in 2004 and lasted for 10 years.  Marcel lovingly sculpted each brick, molding and corner by hand while carefully laying each stone in the façade of the building walls and fences individually.  There is a completely round, stand-alone turret with tall windows on all sides that must fill this cool space with light and fits my concept of what an ideal turret should look like.  Mosaic “vines” and “tree trunks” weave up and around the building, while a winding stone fence is topped with mosaic “horn of plenty” shaped flowerpots.  Several large art pieces are found on the facade of the house including a mosaic work whose colours and shapes remind me of a Klimt painting and features one of the oblong characters.  A sculpture depicting an Indian Princess is affixed to a stone slab that was so substantial that a small room had to be added to the house in order to support it.

I love how concrete sculptures and mosaics can be found scattered throughout the garden, nestled between tall grass and shrubs.  Even the garages are beautifully decorated with the pediments and sides of the garages adorned with mosaic artwork.  An undulating stone wall topped at each peak with a small oblong sculpture leads back towards the beach and the water.  The result is an architectural work of art reminiscent of Antonio Gaudi’s Parc Guell buildings and structures in Barcelona.  We tried not to get too close to the house to respect the privacy of the owners, but given how ornate the exterior is, I would have loved to see how the interior is decorated.

Heading down Route de la Mer (Rte 132), which is the main street of St. Flavie, we continued to see Marcel Gagnon’s influence at several houses and shops which displayed sculptures either by him or at least heavily inspired by him.  The St. Flavie Church is quite ornate with its multi-coloured brick giving it an effect that resembles wood-inlay marquetry.  Several grand buildings including one with a huge turret had signs indicating that they were part of the “Route des Arts” or a walking tour of artist studios and galleries in the community.  Unfortunately, they were not open by the time we went on our walk in the evening and opened too late the next day for us to be able to visit them.  Centre d’Art Marcel Gagnon is part of this route, so at least we got to see the art there in great detail.

Although it was also closed, we did visit the area around the Cantine des Navigateurs, which based on its Facebook page, looks like a fun, casual waterside restaurant where we could have gotten drinks and seafood.  Behind the restaurant were some quirky cardboard characters and cutout signs as well as some dinosaur sculptures made from tree stumps and a model of a sailboat propped up by carved logs.

Another place that was closed was Capitaine Homard Restaurant, which based on its name plus the kitchsy sculptures in front, obviously served lobster and other seafood.  Its sign indicated that it offered lobster “fresh from our ponds” along with camping and mini-golf.  All sorts of maritime items hung from the ceiling inside the restaurant including life preservers, lobster traps and nets, buoys, ropes and lamps.  Behind the restaurant at the water’s edge was a sign indicating “28km to Bersimis” which is the community directly on the other side of the St. Lawrence River from St. Flavie.  It was really too bad that we got into town too late to check out more of the restaurants, art galleries, museums and other attractions in St. Flavie.  Hopefully we will be able to return to this area again so that we can give it the time that it deserves.

The one place that actually did stay open later into the evening was the restaurant Au Goût du Large so I had made reservations for us to have dinner there.  It was supposed to be on the main street, a short walking distance just down the road from Centre d’Art Marcel Gagnon.  We walked around without seeing a sign for the restaurant and walked several times by the Gaspesiana Hotel where Google Maps had led us, before realizing that the restaurant was inside the hotel.  We were given a window seat with a great view of the St. Lawrence and enjoyed watching the sun set over the pier.  Rich and I started our meals with salmon tartar mixed with caper, chive, red onion on crostini and Coquille St. Jacques (scallops in a wine sauce topped with browned cheesy mashed potato).

For our main courses, Rich and I again went the seafood route with orders of halibut in a saffron sauce topped with fried leeks and a cod fillet lightly breaded and pan-seared “in the truest Gaspesian tradition”.  That last phrase sealed the deal for Rich, who is always looking for a "local experience".  Yim went for the sauteed scallops in a savory cream of roasted garlic, parmesan and arugula while Murray had the meat-based special which looked so good that I almost regretted my pact with Rich to only eat seafood for our entire East Coast trip!  We ended our meal with tarte tartan and crème brulée and by that time, the sun had totally set, and we were able to see the glowing lights of the village on the other side of the pier.  After dinner, we walked out onto the pier to get an even better view.

Prior to leaving for dinner, we took a walk on the beach and watched the sun start to set.  By the time we returned to the hotel after dinner, all the figures forming Le Grand Rassemblement were lit up in the dark and looked even eerier than in the daylight.  We found one group of figures which seemed to form a family unit including a family dog.  The next morning before breakfast, Rich and I took a final walk on the beach to say goodbye to these fabulous characters.

Like the rest of the building, the charming little restaurant was again decorated with the Gagnon family’s paintings including the glass panels on the kitchen door which were painted with Guillaume's whimsical children peeking mischievously through the windows.  Large windows facing the water provided a great view of le Grand Rassemblement and the rafts further afield.  For breakfast, we had a choice the usual eggs with bacon or sausage, crepes with syrup, or fruit with toast, homemade jam and creton, which is a French Canadian pork spread containing herbs and spices.  This last choice was the most unique and once again, a local specialty, so we all went for it.

Before leaving Centre d’Art Marcel Gagnon, we checked out the shopping Boutique where there were many gift items featuring the Gagnon family's unique artwork.  Murray bought some jigsaw puzzles for his mom along with a key chain and tiny sculpture featuring the oblong shapes, while I bought a couple of mouse pads with Marcel and Guillaume's paintings printed on them.  At the last minute, I also picked up a couple of folding tote/grocery bags for Yim and myself.  When folded correctly, the bags turn into the shapes of little clutch purses.  Just before driving away and leaving St. Flavie, we crossed the road to inspect RV campgrounds owned by the Centre, with a pretty outhouse decorated with mosaic versions of Gagnon’s paintings.  For $20+tax per night, cars, RVs and camper trailers can park on the grounds and have access to the toilets, portable water, internet and a discount at the restaurant.  Parked on the campgrounds is the tiny boat Candala Mi Amor, which Marcel Gagnon built in 2017 when he was 72.  It is adorned with his signature oblong sculptural figure on the bow.  That same year, he won the Excellence Award for Tourism for his iconic works which have put St. Flavie on the tourism map.