From Simple Art to Collector's Pieces

     The story of Canadian folk artist Maud Lewis is quite fascinating. As with any story, there is conflicting information and why wouldn't there be? We don't know how people really think or act behind closed doors. We really don't know what their relationships are like and how much pain and suffering people endure, especially in an era when people kept to themselves and did not share everything like many do today with social media, etc. In 2017, the movie Maudie depicted her life and paintings. Today, many parts of Nova Scotia are cashing in on her, like Prince Edward Island does with Anne of Green Gables. 

     Maud Dowley was born in Nova Scotia in 1903 and suffered most of her life with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Maud's paintings have become famous and her story is no different. Her art has been described as "innocent and childlike", "simple and pure", naive, primitive, a happy vibe, vibrant colours with simple shapes. She had a great passion for painting and has been quoted as saying, "As long as I've got a brush in front of me, I'm alright."

A picture of Maud sitting in her corner of the kitchen painting.
She was a tiny woman with a big smile. In her later life she was in
so much pain with arthritis. Notice the deformity of her hands but
she painted daily.

     In 1938, Maud married Everett Lewis and lived in his small house, a tiny house by today's standard, located along the main highway in Marshalltown near Digby, Nova Scotia. The house lacked modern amenities such as indoor plumbing and electricity. It had only one room with a small sleeping loft. It has been described as "tiny in stature but large in character'. This was due to the fact that, as a complusive painter, Maud painted any surface she could find in and outside of the house even on dustpans, trays, the stove and other things (see the photos below). While in Newfoundland, I had a friend who lived in Digby and as a child, remembers seeing the colourful tiny house as he travelled from Digby through Marshalltown to other towns. I am sure that he was quite amazed by it and wondered what type of people lived in such as place.

After Everett died in 1970, the house started to deteriorate so the province
of Nova Scotia bought it. It was then moved to the Art Gallery of  Nova Scotia
where it was restored and put on permanent display in the Maud Lewis Gallery.

Here is Maud standing in front of her tiny house holding one of her paintings.

     Today, there are several places in Nova Scotia where you can go to remember Maud and her art.

     1. Maude Lewis Memorial Park which is three minutes from Digby and is the actual location  of the house where she lived from 1938 to 1970. She painted the house inside and out with her famous folk art paintings. The steel replica memorial of the house was placed on the original foundation footings. It is the same shape and size as the original house. It is quite unique. The architect, Brian MacKay Lyon, stated that, "The memorial was designed to symbolize Maud's life. The primary colours and lighting inside the structure represents the inner glow and character of Maud. The galvanized steel exterior reflects the reality of the outside world that challenged Maud every day."

     2. Maud's final resting place in Marshalltown. Following a QR code located on the plaque at the Memorial Park site you will find Maud's grave site. Due to her size, Maud was buried in a child's coffin. You can sit on a bench which was installed in 2017 and reflect on her humble, fruitful and tragic life. "The bench is meant to  be a modest and sensitive touch to aid people as they salute Maud and her role in the community's heritage", states a 2017 article in the Digby County Courier.

3. The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia purchased the Lewis one-room house in 1984. The house was dismantled and moved to the Art Gallery in Halifax where it was restored and is on permanent display along with some of her work.

Here is Maud painting. See below for samples of her art on display
at the Art Gallery in Halifax.

   4. From June 12 to July 28, the Acadia University in Wolfville had an exhibit focusing on Maud. The exhibition entitled, Whose Maud?, presents the work of rug-hooker Laura Kenney and painter Steven Rhude. The exhibition takes as its central question: Whose Maud? in that there are many interpretations of Maud as artist, as individual, as folk art icon. The artist and her work have come to symbolize a bucolic rural landscape, but this stands in stark contrast to the harsh realities of her life. The artists Kenney and Rhude, by researching, repositioning and reconsidering, through their own art practice, beg the audience to question, Whose Maud? This was a very interesting perspective of Maud's life through the art of rug hooking and paintings. Below are some samples of the art work exhibited.

     5. The Rossignol Cultural Centre in Liverpool has a replica of the Lewis house in its outdoor exhibit. You can go in and see how small the house actually is. Below are some photos of the interior of the house.

      6. Between Waterford and Digby, Murray Ross, a retired fisherman built a replica of the Lewis house as a personal project. It is located on his property and it is free for the public to view.

     So as you can see, Maud's story and art legacy is being kept alive through all these various venues. Maud's life and strength is an amazing story.

     During February 2019, Maud Lewis was honoured during heritage month in Nova Scotia. There were several events or workshops at the public libraries around the province such as Folk art painting classes and "Paint Like Maud" workshops. The Arthritis Society hosted a talk on the Life of Maud Lewis. Unfortunately I was unaware of these events at the time.  It would have been nice to participate in some of them. The lesson learned here is that I must be more diligent in watching out for such events through various means of communication.