It has been a whirlwind month, with the approach of one of the most important elections in Canadian history, uncertainty and unrest on our southern border, wars in the Middle East and the Ukraine, and the loss of Pope Francis, a man whose humility and simplicity drew people from all cultures and faiths.
And in the middle of all that, an auction of the Chris Huntington estate. Huntington, the first to recognize and appreciate the importance of contemporary Nova Scotian folk art, had been collecting and selling work for fifty years, and his collection included a lot of early work. A couple of highlights were a wonderful small carving by Collins Eisenhauer of himself carving a swan and a record breaking price for a large Cyril Hirtle painting. It was not surprising that I was drawn to the painting of a peacock with flowers and butterflies by Joe Sleep which we have for our first offering. His use of colours and shapes creates a calm tapestry. Bruce Ferguson described his paintings as "a desire shared by Sleep and his public for a world unsullied by omnipresent problems of everyday reality." ... "A kind of 'peaceable kingdom', a good natured world in which the elements coexist in perpetual tranquility." The three person band is a fun piece by an unknown artist which we found many years ago. The mouths and hands of the musicians are controlled from below by strings and it actually creates a sound when the one musician bangs drumsticks made of common nails on a metal can, while the bells and bottle caps are tossed about by another musician. Music is the main inspiration for UK artist Ian Pyper's drawing and he uses it as a meditative tool to produce his automatic drawings. He is self-taught and has drawn all of his life. He describes his work as a "form of pure meditation and spiritual contemplation". His work has been exhibited throughout North America, Europe and Japan, and can be found in collections worldwide. The Night Bird was done in 2007. We have two lovely roosters. We are unable to identify the makers but both artists have managed to capture the elegance of the barnyard rooster. It is always interesting to imagine the genesis of these pieces. Was it a tribute to a particular rooster or just a carving of a memory to busy idle hands and pass the time while listening to the farm reports on the radio? The larger rooster is approximately 15" high and the other a little more primitive is about 10" high. Bradford Naugler's The Bluenose, Wind To Sail was painted in 2007. It was framed by the artist in a bright yellow and orange border. We have enjoyed many visits with Bradford in his carving shed and his home; Bradford continues to be recognized in print, having been featured in Ray Cronin's recently released "Nova Scotia Folk Art, An Illustrated Guide". And finally I have decided to go fishing for the rest of this newsletter. We have several anonymous fish in our boat including a speckled trout and a toothy and slightly bloody shark. The brightly coloured orange and yellow fish is by Bradford's brother, Leo Naugler. The grey swordfish with green thumb tack eyes is by Randall Smith (b. 1906), whose work seldom comes to market any more. Randall's large Halibut is almost always on display at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, and a very impressive work. Sid Howard's (1913-1992) white bellied trout is also flopping around, and the familiar paper tag with Sid's name is stapled to its tail. And the highlight of the catch is a shiny blue fish by Eddie Mandaggio (1928-2020). Eddie has inset the ends of fish hooks to create a stand for the fish. Be safe everyone. | ||
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| GALLERIES | ||
| List of Artists |
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| U.K. Folk And Outsider Artists
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| U.S. Folk And Outsider Artists |
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| Canadian Folk and Outsider Artists |
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| First Nations/Native Artists |
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