signed lower right
Provenance: Private collection, Calgary AB; Cowley Abbott (October 2019); Acquired directly from Maud Lewis and by descent through family to a private collection (Ontario).
Maud Kathleen Dowley (Lewis) was born in South Ohio, Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia. Her father, Jack, was a craftsman and blacksmith. Her mother, Agnes, enjoyed artistic pursuits and encouraged Maud to paint from a young age. The young artist initially sold Christmas cards door-to-door for 5 cents apiece, then small paintings which were created using modest and found materials, mediums she favoured during most of her career. After losing both her parents within a short time, Maud moved to Digby to stay with an aunt, eventually marrying Everett Lewis (in 1938) and settling into their small, one-room house in Marshalltown. Other than one trip to Halifax, Maud Lewis spent her entire life within a one-hour drive of her birthplace, content to sit by her corner window painting.
Maud Lewis faced physical challenges from birth and from early on lived what appeared to be a sheltered and confined life. As the years progressed, arthritis stiffened her hands making painting and daily tasks even more difficult. Yet she expressed contentedness with her life: “As long as I’ve got a bit of brush in front of me, I’m all right.” (p. 29 “The Illuminated Live of Maud Lewis; Lance Woolaver; Nimbus Publishing/Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, 1996).
From humble beginnings, selling her paintings to neighbours and tourists, Maud Lewis’s recognition grew following a CBC “Telescope” broadcast in 1965. She began to gain national recognition and even international commissions. Today, she has become Canada’s most recognized folk artist and her works are prized by collectors – as much for their bright, charming and nostalgic depictions of Nova Scotia life, as for their reflection of a beloved artist’s inner vision.
