Barry Colpitts

Barry Colpitts is a sought after folk artist who lives on the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia. Barry has been creating his folk art for about 20 years. In 1989, he started carving small pieces in his house and gave them to family members. Each piece has a story. He will often look at a piece of wood and he will know what he will carve from it. He gathers branches and cuts trees for his carvings. Barry uses a chainsaw and a crooked knife for his tools. Once he finishes his pieces, he will paint his art with marine paint, in his paint shed. He uses bright colors to decorate his primitive folk art.

Barry’s house (inside and out), yard, shop, and truck are decorated with his folk art. Many of his pieces are of his family or friends. He has made carvings of his wife Betty Ann and his son Craig. He has also carved some of his neighbours in Jeddore. Barry also likes to create different animals and birds, such as fish, crows, roosters, peacocks and more. He says that mermaids are one of his favorite things to carve as well as whirligigs. If you look at his house you will see some of his family members. His uncle was carved in his Mountie’s suit. There is a carving of his mother when she was pregnant with Barry. The inside of Barry’s house is also decorated with many carvings. He usually will not sell anything that is in his house or on the outside of his house.

Barry is hardly able to keep up with the demand for his art. He sells his work at the Lunenburg Folk Art Festival, the Seacoast Trail Arts Association in Sheet Harbour, the Black Sheep Gallery in West Jeddore, Argyle Fine Art and Downstairs Gallery in Halifax, Cat Fish Moon Gallery in Annapolis Royal, the Harvest Gallery in Wolfville and Folk Art Nova Scotia in Mahone Bay. Each year he does demonstrations at the Fisherman’s Life Museum in Oyster Pond. He has received an art bank grant to make a relief carving, and his Eyeball chair was chosen for the permanent collection for the NS Art Gallery. He received a provincial grant to create his Flying Bird chair. In 2009, Barry’s carvings were used on the set for the movie Nova Scotia Whirligigs.