Meeting Maud

On Tuesday I had wandered past the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia and made a mental note that I must visit. Tonight, a visit to the AGNS became an "executive decision" by Greg & Wade as to what they would be doing if I wanted to tag along. Sadly, we got there 40 mins before closing and did not feel up to paying the $10 fee to tour the entire gallery.

What we did get to see was the special presentation of Maud Lewis' home. Her tiny abode has been renovated and transported to the gallery itself. I had never heard of Maud Lewis before, but she is, apparantly a well-known Atlantic artist. She began her career painting Christmas cards in the early 1900s. Each winter painting definately recalls the holiday cards of my youth with the snow-laden evergreens, horse-drawn sleds and alert pairs of deer. Her "naive" paintings - most no larger than a standard piece of paper - are now worth about a couple thousand dollars. But what touched me most was the tale of her life. Featuring a photo of the munchkin-like Maud, her story is one of struggle and success. It is a sweet, old-world history of a childlike woman and how she came to live and paint in a home adorned with flowers and butterflies with her fisherman husband. So glad I took the time to see it.