Red Sleigh on a Country Road

Zwicker’s Gallery, Halifax Heffel Fine Art, auction, Vancouver, January 27, 2011, lot 149 Private Collection, Ontario

A picturesque winter scene by the artist, this painting demonstrates the confidence and compositional strength of Lewis’ early works. According to Alan Deacon, this work was likely created in the late 1950s or early 1960s, at a time when Lewis was receiving quality oil paints, brushes, and gessoed boards from acquaintances via correspondence. The strong sense of atmospheric perspective suggested by the receding road and distant mountains, coupled with the detailed brushwork applied to the towering trees, shows the care that the artist has taken to plan and execute her composition. The horse-drawn sleigh on a country road is a serial, though uncommon, image within Lewis’ oeuvre.