Photo Caption for 2 people: Barry and Bettianne Colpitts
To many on the Eastern Shore, the whimsically decorated house in East Ship Harbour is known as the “The Jesus House”. In fact, it is the home of renown folk artist Barry Colpitts and his wife Bettianne. On March 16, in a ceremony at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Barry received the King Charles III Coronation Medal in recognition of his service to Canada, Nova Scotia, and the Eastern Shore.
Colpitts has long held the record as the artist whose work sells out faster than any other each year at the famous Lunenburg Folk Art Festival. His work is held in the permanent collections of the Canadian Museum of History, the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, the Beaverbrook Art Gallery in Fredericton, and countless personal collections across Nova Scotia and around the world.
A crowd of more than 80 was on hand to celebrate the creativity, joy, and humour that is evident in all of Colpitts’ work, and the humility and kindness of the man himself. The event was organized by the Art Gallery’s CEO Sarah Fillmore, Audrey Sandford of the Black Sheep Gallery, and Colpitts’ friend Ann Birks of Sheet Harbour.
It was noted by all that Colpitts’ work provides an important counterbalance during these unsettling times. On one extreme is a man in Washington who seems to be doing everything in his power to benefit himself, and cause disruption and harm to others. On the absolute other extreme of human behaviour sits Barry Colpitts, someone who works every day to spread joy, laughter, and smiles, and does so with grace, kindness, and respect for all others.
Today, more than ever, we all need, the entire world needs, more Barry Colpitts.
