ARTIST DANIEL GAGNÉ
Born in 1965, Daniel Gagné started drawing wildlife at an early age. He excelled in biology during his formal education. Combining art and science, he developed a style in which exact reproduction plays a significant role. His attention to the smallest detail infuses his canvases today.

From Norbertville, a small village where he lives, he wanders over mountains, along the banks of streams, rivers or marshes, searching out new experiences to capture in sketches done on the spot. The hours he spends in the wilderness enrich his observations.

Gagné's passionate love of nature and firsthand knowledge are clearly reflected in his paintings. Self taught, his preferred medium is acrylics, but he often uses ink or pencil for his art.

He has published a conservation stamp with la Fondation de la faune du Québec (river otter in 1999). He has also produced many of the drawings in the Atlas saisonnier des oiseaux du Québec.

Southern Quebec is at the northern-most range of this elegant woodpecker. Once persecuted on the mistaken assumption that the diet of the red headed woodpecker consisted mostly of fruits, we now know that it is the master of pest control, eating up to 600 insects an hour. A beautiful bird but its existence in Quebec is threatened by the continuing loss of suitable habitat. The insects must be cheering at man’s short sightedness...