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Evern "Earl" Bailly (1903 – 1977) was a lifelong Lunenburg artist with an impressive list of artistic accomplishments and an engaging personality.

 

Stricken with polio at the age of two, he lost the use of both his arms and legs. His parents traveled the maritimes seeking out medical experts and experimental therapies, but it was soon clear his paralysis was a permanent condition. His mother, a school teacher, taught  Earl to  hold a pencil in his mouth and write. Spurred by an unquenchable love of the sea, nature, and the fishing life of his community, he then learned to paint with a brush clenched in his teeth, developing a remarkable talent for painting. He also mastered linoleum block prints with tools adapted by his brother, Don Bailly. 

 

His wheelchair was fitted with a table and brush rack to enable him to work.  When he began, oil paints were not available locally, they had to be ordered from Montreal.  His brother assisted by travelling with him and squeezing the paint out of the tubes, although Earl mixed the paint himself.  A special electric easel allowed Earl to work on large canvases in his home studio.

 

Earl had a highly refined sense of colour and composition, becoming well-read in art theory and practice.  Earl’s international reputation grew; in 1933 he was a guest at the Chicago World’s Fair, traveling there with his brother Don aboard the schooner Bluenose.

 

He travelled to major cities in Canada, the U.S. and Bermuda, achieving recognition at galleries for the quality of his Maritime scenes.

 

Thanks to generous donors, the Lunenburg Art Gallery Society owns an ever-growing collection of Earl Bailly's paintings. These have been displayed informally in Lunenburg’s Town Hall, the Lunenburg Heritage Society and the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic for many years.

 

Work has begun to promote this amazing body of work – and its creator – to the world. An Earl Bailly display has been created in the Lunenburg Art Gallery, featuring a rotation of his artwork and interesting artifacts. There are limited edition colour giclée prints, original linocuts and cards available for sale. Further plans are underway to house this collection in a dedicated space. Financial and human resources will be needed to see this to fruition and we welcome all inquiries. We’re excited to share the Earl Bailly story in print and other media.

 

The Lunenburg Art Gallery Society is honoured to share the life and work of this remarkable artist to the world.

                                                                                   

“…my life has been rather rich and full… Trials will still go on,  and must I still strive for better results in my paintings…”  ~ E.B.