Maudie

Back inward the mid/late 1990s (come to intend of it, simply about the same timeframe equally my pregnancy alongside Katie & its aftermath), the banking concern I worked for announced a major cultural sponsorship inward the say where it had been founded. I had never heard of Maud Lewis before this, but over the side yesteryear side yr or so, I institute myself writing several articles for the staff newsmagazine well-nigh the sponsorship, which included a long national tour of Lewis's paintings; the restoration of her tiny, elementary domicile -- every spare inch of it decorated alongside gaily painted flowers, birds as well as butterflies; as well as its installation inward a novel permanent gallery within the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia inward Halifax, along alongside a considerable collection of Lewis paintings. Employees wrote to enjoin us well-nigh their ain Lewis paintings as well as how they'd acquired them -- oft purchased conduct from Lewis or her married adult man at their domicile for $5 or $10 each (! -- they're immediately worth a whole lot to a greater extent than than that!!)(bidding on a newly discovered Lewis run late topped $125,000). There was something hugely appealing to me well-nigh Lewis's simple, folksy style, which some convey compared to the run of Grandma Moses inward the United States. Apparently, her run hung inward the White House during President Richard Nixon's fourth dimension there.

When dh & I went to Nova Scotia inward September 2010, a halt at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia was high on my to-do list. We weren't disappointed. Even dh was enchanted yesteryear Maud's colourful, whimsical portraits of cows & oxen, cats, horses, deer, birds, flowers as well as butterflies. We sat on a wooden bench as well as watched an onetime CBC documentary well-nigh her, peeked within her tiny identify (no bigger than some garden sheds), as well as marvelled that this shy, tiny woman, who suffered from debilitating arthritis her entire life, managed to exercise paintings that reflected such joy, cheerfulness as well as please inward the Blue Planet about her.  If you lot are always inward Halifax, it is good worth a visit. 

H5N1 few months ago, a trailer popped upward inward my Facebook feed for a novel moving-picture demonstrate well-nigh Lewis called "Maudie," starring British actress Sally Hawkins equally Maud & Ethan Hawke (!!) equally her cantankerous (and sometimes abusive) married adult man Everett. Dh & I went to meet it this yesteryear weekend. It's 1 of those placidity picayune movies, focused to a greater extent than on grapheme as well as human relationship evolution than plot or action, but nosotros both enjoyed it.  The performances are touching, the scenery is lovely (although, equally purists volition enjoin you, it was filmed inward Newfoundland, non Nova Scotia), the music (including songs yesteryear Mary Margaret O'Hara as well as the Cowboy Junkies) evocative. Spoiler alert:  there's fifty-fifty an ALI subplot -- plainly based inward fact -- which was a consummate surprise to me. (Maud & Everett had no children together.) There's a brief cinema clip of the existent Maud & Everett at the real terminate of the movie, as well as images of Maud's paintings are interspersed amid the closing credits.    

I don't know how much play "Maudie" volition teach exterior of Canada, or fifty-fifty exterior of the Maritimes as well as a few larger Canadian cities (although I am certain it volition eventually demonstrate upward on CBC television receiver someday...!), but it has been good received yesteryear critics, as well as got 2 thumbs upward from dh & me. :)    

Sumber http://theroadlesstravelledlb.blogspot.com