Maud Lewis

I spent last weekend adventuring around Nova Scotia with my aunt Kara. When we were in Halifax the weather turned a little and it got very damp out, so we decided to wait it out in the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia.  This is when I discovered the work of Maud Lewis. Her hands were badly disfigured by juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, but that didn’t stop her from painting. 

 

She and her loving fish peddling husband, Everett lived in a smaller than small cottage in Marshalltown, Nova Scotia from 1938 until her death in 1970. She painted Christmas cards, shutters, plates, quilts, anything she could get her hands on. Everett would go door to door trying to sell the little paintings. 

 

Maud and Everett lived their lives in poverty, but Maud being a compulsive artist, Everett made sure she always had beaverboard and oil paints. You can see her devotion to him in her work; there are always two deer, two oxen, or a man and a woman. Her work is minimal, painted directly from the tube. I was struck by the character and whimsy of her work. I was an instant fan, and quite inspired.  

Absolutely love this one!!!