Two Skiers

About Two Skiers

This charming painting by Maud Lewis, Nova Scotia’s famous folk artist captures a pastoral winter scene. Lewis is renowned for her colourful paintings of everyday life in the little seaside village of Digby. Her signature vivid colours—this piece in bright red, yellow, orange, green and blue contrasts beautifully against the pure white of the snow. Lewis’s paint often came from the dregs of cans used by the local fisherman to paint their boats. In this landscape two skiers, arms wide open whiz down a snow-covered hill. In the background a cove is framed by fir trees, a bright red barn and sunshine-coloured houses dot the countryside. Despite the hardships of poverty and advancing arthritis, Maud was able to create a body of cheerful paintings that belied her situation – the fluffy white and black cats, the jaunty sleighs on wintery roads, the oxen festooned with bells and more. She painted on whatever surface was available including clam shells, dustpans, and the walls of her tiny home.

“I imagine and paint from memory.” Maud Lewis

Maud’s house which she shared with her husband was restored and is on permanent exhibit at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. Her artwork is held there and in the Canadian Museum of Civilization. She is the subject of several biographies and two National Film Board of Canada documentaries. In 2017, a biopic of Maud's life titled "Maudie" was released starring Sally Hawkins and Ethan Hawke.