This article appeared in the Nov. 21, 2012 issue of the Interlake Enterprise.
By Teresa Carey
Arborg and District Heritage Village chair person, Pat Eyolfson, is elated by a donation of a large collection of historical paintings she received on Nov. 12. The artist who painted them, Millard Barteaux of Gimli, is just as happy that his collection has finally found a good home.
Eyolfson first heard about Barteaux and his paintings, through her sister-in-law, Judy Bouchard, who had read about the artist in a recent article in the Interlake Arts, Life & Leisure Magazine. The article featured Barteaux’s quest to paint all of the churches and lighthouses in the Interlake. In it, Barteaux had stated his desire to find a permanent home for his extensive church collection, but the stipulation was that they would all have to be hung in a public place, and permanently.
“I just hoped that someone would see (the article),” Barteaux said.
“She (Bouchard) told me that he wanted to donate all of them,” Eyolfson said. “I just thought, wow, what are the chances? I thought they’d be gone.”
As it turns out, Barteaux was having a hard time finding a taker. A few years ago they were on display at the New Iceland Heritage Museum in Gimli, but only temporarily. The museum did not have enough space to keep them.
Barteaux had gotten one offer from a church representative who wanted to take only a portion of the collection, only those churches from its own particular denomination. However, Barteaux graciously passed on it, feeling it was more important to keep the collection together as a documentation of Interlake history.
To date Barteaux has painted 175 churches, spanning from Winnipeg’s perimeter up to Fisher River Cree Nation.
“I don’t know why I got on this quest, but I did. It took 20 years to finish,” Barteaux said, commenting on how quickly time passes.
He searched them out through archives, libraries and got other leads by word of mouth.
He still has eight more churches along Hwy 6 to paint. Once completed, those will follow the others to the Heritage Village hall.
In addition to the church paintings, Barteaux has donated 12 of his Manitoba lighthouse paintings, a number which he believes represents all of the lighthouses in the province. The lighthouse paintings have special meaning for Barteaux, as he grew up on Canada’s east coast, a son of lighthouse keepers. Coincidentally, Eyolfson’s own grandfather and mother tended the lighthouse at Hnausa, where Eyolfson grew up.
Barteaux cut all the mats and glass for each and every painting, and framed and matted all the pictures himself. Some of the frames were store bought, and some he built himself, but many came from second hand stores or were brought to him by a Gimli garbage collector.
It took Kristine and Karl Bauernhuber of Arnes, sister and brother in-law of one of the Heritage Village board members, only two days to hang all 187 paintings. They grouped them alphabetically, according to town, village or hamlet, along both of the long walls on the hall’s main floor. The collection then continues up the side stairs and around the backstage.
“That’s exactly what I wanted,” Barteaux said, “to have them all together for people to see. Every one of these (paintings) has a story.”
“That’s what we have to capture,” Eyolfson added.
Eyolfson plans to keep a guest book near the paintings so that visitors can record their personal stories about the different churches, the people who attended them, along with stories about the region.
Eyolfson said that the paintings help to connect all Interlake people together.
“It enhances the history of the area,” she said.
“We are ever so grateful to get this collection. It will be a real drawing card. This is so much history in one building now,” she said.
Eyolfson plans to eventually hold an open house, either in the winter or spring, the date of which will be decided at a future board meeting.
In the meantime, Barteaux has made copies and art cards of all of his paintings. They can be seen at www.barteauxartworks.com and are available for purchase.
