Lorne Bouchard was born in Montréal in 1913. He started sketching when he was a child. He studied draw¬ing at the Barnes School of Art under Wilfred M. Barnes and drawing with Professor Maurice Felix at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Montréal from 1930-32. He was encouraged by Clarence Gagnon to paint scenes of Quebec.
At the age of 18 he exhibited in a jury show with the Royal Canadian Academy. Gagnon and Maurice Cullen had a large influence in the development of his early works.
Bouchard often worked with a palette knife and brushes, he continually searched for fast drying mediums since he enjoyed painting outdoors. He would work quickly to catch the effects of sunlight and atmosphere, normally finishing a painting in just one sitting. Bouchard painted in a variety of mediums including watercolours and tempera, but most of his paintings were done using oils.
In the 1960's two of his painting trips were recorded in Weekend Magazine, including his three-week cruise trip up the Mackenzie River in 1963 with his wife and Mr. & Mrs. David Molson.
