28.5 x 28.5

Canadian. Dated 1977. Oil on board. A bold painting of flowers by Nova Scotia master Joe Sleep (1914-1978). Signed, "joseph sleep 77", lower right. 28.5 x 28.5" $1600/2000. Joseph Sleep grew up in Saint John, New Brunswick. He spent his life working in the fishing industry and as a jack-of-all-trades before becoming a worker for the 'Bill Lynch Shows' travelling carnival. It was not until 1973, when Sleep was hospitalized at the Halifax Infirmary that he discovered his passion for drawing. The nurses requested he draw posters for them, and provided him with paper and art supplies - a gesture which started him on his late-life career as a painter. He later opened a small art studio on Argyle Street in Halifax. His folk art pieces incorporated many materials including latex, cardboard, canvas, masonite, felt makers and even spray paint. Work by Joe Sleep is included in the collections of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Dalhousie University Art Gallery, National Gallery of Canada and the Canadian Museum of History.