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Joe Norris: Painted Visions of Nova Scotia

by Bernard Riordon, Curator of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia from Art Gallery of Nova Scotia Journal

Joe Norris found joy in simple pleasures. He never questioned the hand that life dealt him. Having to recreate his life at age forty-nine after a devas-tating heart attack, Joe translated his energy into paintings. His cove scenes and seagull paintings have become icons for the Nova Scotian experi-ence over the past quarter century, and many people consider Joe Norris to be a national treasure.

His paintings conjure up an ideal and better world, one in which peace and happiness are predomi-nant and the problems of everyday reality should not exist. Joe?s fishing villages and cove scenes transport us into a world of blue skies, calm waters, and endless summer. A half-forgotten world of winter sleigh rides through shimmering fields of snow becomes a vivid, tangible here-and-now in Joe?s magical ?starry night? paintings.