Last month I went to Halifax, Nova Scotia and stopped into the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. There you will find the most beautiful little home created by one of the most famous Atlantic Canadian artists.

Her story is one of overcoming adversity while staying true to herself. The fact that she created her art regardless of her struggles shows that she did what she loved no matter how challenging it became.

Maud Lewis was born in 1903 in Nova Scotia and grew up in a small rural community (Yarmouth County) near the ocean. Her father worked as a harness maker and her mother loved music and art. From her mom, Maud learned how to make hand-painted Christmas cards, which helped her discover her artistic side and her unique style at a very young age.

Maud developed juvenile rheumatoid arthritis causing her joints to stiffen and her back to curve which eventually made it difficult for her to use her hands. She did not finish her schooling due to being teased for her size and her condition. Instead, she stayed at home helping her parents and while also creating crafts and small drawings.

Her older brother Charles Dowley was not overly supportive of her and left her to fend for herself when her parent passed away.

In the late 1930s when their parents died, Charles sold the family home and moved away, leaving her homeless. She stayed with her aunt in Digby, Nova Scotia.

In her quest for independence and freedom she answered an ad for a housekeeper. That is when she met Everett Lewis, a local fish peddler who placed the ad. Maud and Everett were married in 1938.

They lived in a tiny one-room house in Marshalltown. There was no electricity or running water, but Maud made the home beautiful by painting colourful flowers, birds, and patterns on the walls, doors and windows. Everett bought brushes, boards, and leftover house paint when he could.

Maud often sold her small paintings and postcards to people passing by on the road. Her artwork showed bright outdoor scenes including everyday scenery like cats, horses, boats, oxen, flowers, and rural life in Nova Scotia. She painted every single day.

Over time, Maud’s paintings gained more attention across Canada. Reporters and tourists came to visit her small home, and she became known as one of the country’s most loved folk artists. Maud continued to paint until she passed away on July 30, 1970, in Digby, Nova Scotia.

Today, Maud Lewis’s little painted house is preserved in the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia in Halifax, and her artwork is displayed in galleries and collections all over the country. Her story shows how creativity and joy can shine through even the toughest challenges.

Visiting the gallery is a way to see her home and how she lived. Her art is colourful, childlike and reminiscent of days gone by. There is beauty in her perceived “simple” artwork, but her folk art stands out – you can FEEL it. You can see through her eyes when you look at her paintings and it brings joy to just walk through her dedicated area of the gallery and see what this incredible woman and artist accomplished.