A TULIP IN WINTER

A profile of Nova Scotian folk artist Maud Lewis.

It’s eminently challenging to distill an entire life into a picture book, though perhaps those about artists are a bit easier given that so much content can be conveyed through art. Soloy’s illustrations rise to the occasion, emulating the naïve style and cheery palette of Lewis’ (1903-1970) art while highlighting key moments in Stinson’s tight narrative. There’s sadness in the telling, to be sure—Lewis had rheumatoid arthritis in a time and place when good treatments weren’t available—but there’s grace and beauty, too, as when her mother first gives her a paintbrush. Left to fend for herself after her parents die and her brother sells the house and moves, Maud finds work and companionship with Everett Lewis, a fish peddler in need of a housekeeper. It is in this small house, and with Everett’s support, that Maud continues painting, eventually selling her creations. And it is this small house itself that Maud paints, adding color to the walls, shelves, doors, and more, and that now sits inside the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. Biographical info in the backmatter expands upon the text, sharing that Lewis’ works are now much more valuable than they ever were during her lifetime and emphasizing her legacy of finding beauty in the everyday. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

In a word: beautiful.