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  Kitten in a boot

   

  A kitten in a boot, drawing in ink and pencil

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  A child and a plane

   

  Little sister attracted by a model plane made of balsa and paper

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  After the icestorm

   

  The family home in Verdun under the ice

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  Figure with spade

   

  A character (brother) holding a spade, composition study

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  The bell tower

  2. Petite soeur attirée par lun modèle réduit de balsa et papier d'un avion. 3. Maison familiale de Verdun sous le verglas. 4. Personnage serrant une bèche, au cadrage étudié.

  Architectural detail of the local church | tight shot.

In the twenties when consumer products were scarce, a mother's dexterity made a big difference to her family's comfort. Her cretive skills, in addition to routine household chores, cooking, sewing, knitting, decorating, tinkering, were important values to share with her offsprings. And these pioneering talents flowed naturally from one generation to the next.

The family, from which Germaine Schetagne came, valued these manual skills. From her marriage in early twenties, she exceled in these daily tasks that required resourcefulness and organization. While she gave birth to twelve children, she managed the growth of this small "business" that required all her talents; mother, teacher, cook, seamstress, decorator ...

She was able to transmit this curiosity, develop the skills and cultivate the talents of each of her children. It is under her watchful eye, in this welcoming environment, that Jean-Paul learned to handle the pencil and later a paintbrush.