Harley Watter. Sculptor. St. Stephen, New Brunswick. Active mid-20th century. Seen: a carved and painted rhinoceros.
Bruce Smith
Born: 1912
Bruce Smith. Sculptor. Bethany, Ontario. Active mid to late 20th century.
Early works were farm subjects; horse drawn wagons and implements with a varnished fish. As he evolved his subjects became birds and animals, both from the farm and from the wild as well as imaginative works. All with strong colors and movement.
Gilbert Desrochers
Born: 1926 | Died: 1990
Gilbert Desrochers. Sculptor. Lafontaine, Tiny Township, Ontario.
Carver of animals and birds and religious themed works. Almost of work was inspired by his religious beliefs; the animals that he carved were made for Noah’s Ark. His work is in many collections; private and public.
Joseph Sleep
Born: 1914 | Died: 1978
Joseph ‘Joe’ Sleep. Painter. St. John, New Brunswick. Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Joe Sleep was a lobster fisherman before working with the ‘Bill Lynch’ travelling carnival show. He began to paint while he was in the hospital in the early 1970’s, recovering from a heat attack. He worked with various ‘as found’ media, on paper and on board. His experience working with carnivals shows in his paintings; they all seem to call the viewer to “look at me”. His pallet and the images that he painted reflect this as well.
Joseph Sleep was widely recognized and had a retrospective in Halifax during his lifetime.
One of his paintings. ‘Kangaroos and flowers’. Signed and dated 1977. ‘As found’ colors on a panel:
Joe Sleep. Painter. Halifax, Nova Scotia. Kangaroo and Flowers. 1977.
Ref: Bruce Ferguson. Joe Sleep Retrospective. Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. Halifax. 1981.
Eli Whiteway
Born: 1914 | Died: 1987
Eli Whiteway. Sculptor. Shelburne. Nova Scotia. Made carvings of animals and dioramas of life. He was part of the “Folk Art of Nova Scotia” travelling exhibition in 1977-1978.
