PROVENANCE
The Isaacs Gallery Ltd., Toronto
Private Collection, Toronto

LITERATURE
William Kurelek, Kurelek’s Canada, 1975, page 33, reproduced frontispiece and page 32

In the book Kurelek’s Canada, William Kurelek describes this work as being based on a photograph he had seen in the book Nova Scotia: Window on the Sea, by Ernest Buckler and Hans Weber. Kurelek used this photo as a starting point, but took the image further by adding a second figure and a sleeping cat. Kurelek writes:

The mood is one of easy relaxation: a cup of coffee or tea beside a quietly singing kettle during a mid-morning break in winter. Out West, people used to drop in unannounced to exchange bits of farm news and spin yarns. To my boyish eyes, at least, it always seemed like a welcome interruption.

If the atmosphere seems shabby or run down, it is because these people are not rich. The visitor is carrying a rifle—he has been out rabbit shooting in an attempt to thicken the stew pot. Traditionally, the Maritimes have been the most economically depressed region of Canada and many people may not have the resources for more elaborate entertainments. But then, nothing is quite so warming and enjoyable as a fireside chat with an old crony.

This work is in the original frame made by Kurelek.

All prices are in Canadian Dollars

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