The Maritime
Painted Saltbox Gallery
About The Artists
&
Our Gallery
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Greetings. We are the two artists responsible for what you are seeing on these pages of our website. We moved to Nova Scotia from Ontario in 1997. Both of us had family who were born in Nova Scotia. Peter's maternal grandfather was a Cape Bretonner and became the first Park Superintendent of Cape Breton Highlands National Park. Tom's paternal grandmother was born in Greenfield, Lunenburg County, just a short distance from where we now live.
We settled for eight years in the seaside town of Mahone Bay, Lunenburg County, about an hour from Halifax. We purchased and restored a heritage cape and established the Maritime Painted Saltbox Gallery
The heritage cape in Mahone Bay where we first inaugurated the Maritime Painted Saltbox
This room in the Mahone Bay house was set up as the main gallery and featured our paintings and furniture.
This room in the Mahone Bay House, also known as the keeping room, had a large hearth and was restored to its original look.
In the early years our focus was divided between our fine art and the design and fabrication of heritage reproduction furniture for folks like ourselves who were in the process of restoring older homes.
Twice our gallery was featured on HGTV for In the Workshop and Design for Living.
An example of the kind of heritage furniture we designed and built for our gallery. Some of the custom-made pieces were built for the house in Mahone Bay.
Tom Alway working on the doors for a custom made cupboard.
Peter Blais putting the finishing touches on a cupboard he has made.
A woodbox created with a removable pintle hinged checkerboard top.
In 2005, looking to expand, we moved to the picturesque village of Petite Riviere, about a half hour further down the shore from Mahone Bay. We acquired a property on the river, with a century home and a sturdy barn built in 1946, minutes from some of the best white sand beaches in Nova Scotia. We began the work of transforming the barn into a gallery/workshop with four show rooms on two floors.
With the addition of out buildings, we also had the luxury of establishing dedicated studio spaces for each of us.
Autumn view of the Petite River.
The Painted Saltbox is just two bends
further down the road.
The Painted Saltbox Gallery
in the full sun.
Just a kilometer from the Painted Saltbox
is open ocean and two beaches.
This is the back marsh of Crescent Beach.
A view of the one of the upstairs rooms of
Painted Saltbox Gallery.
After 20 years the Painted Saltbox Gallery continues to showcase our work--now almost exclusively acrylic paintings on canvas. Our diverse client base, many with homes or seasonal homes on the South Shore hail from all parts of the world: Canadians and Americans from coast to coast , as well as Germans, Swiss, French and citizens of the UK.
A trio of cyclists from the Back Roads Tour displaying our new metal art created for the 2017 summer show Off Road, Off the Wall Art.
We had visits from some of the local residents to view the Outdoor Art. Peter's Transatlantic Cod hangs in the tree and Tom's Old Buoy & the Sea displays on the easel.
Tom Alway & Peter Blais standing next to pieces of their Outdoor Art, for a show entitled, Out the Door Art These works were painted on plywood with acrylics and treated to be able to be hung outside. Here we displayed them on easels in the garden and on the walls of the house and gallery.
During the summer of 2017, we welcomed Back Roads Cycling Tours three times a week. Here one of the leaders takes a moment to pose with "Art" as she organizes the bicycles.
We actively participate in the life of this special rural community as we welcome the world to our gallery, where formality is left at the door and fun and inclusiveness is the best you'll get from us as an artists' mission statement.
When you are in Nova Scotia, drop by and have the full gallery experience: see the original art, (bold contemporary fine, fun and folk,acrylic paintings), browse through our cards and prints we have created from our work (there are well over 150 different images as matted prints, as greeting cards and post cards), and view our pieces of art furniture. Everything in our gallery has been created by the two of us. Enjoy the experience online at our website and take a look at our shopping page of selected images available as 16 x 20 matted limited edition prints.
The Maritime Painted Saltbox celebrates its
25th season in 2023.
And our testimonials include:
An Art Gallery with Abundant Ambience...
A Not-to-Be-Missed Experience on the South shore.
-Doers and Dreamers Guide 2015
A Hidden Gem
-Regional Municipality of Lunenburg
One of the Best of Bluenose Coast
-Bluenose Coast Association
The Art is Amazing,
Meeting the Artists is a Treat
-Roger Brooks,
Destination Development Inc.
The Maritime Painted Saltbox Fine Art Gallery
265 Petite Riviere Road, Petite Riviere, Nova Scotia B4V8W9
www.painted saltbox.com
(902) 693-1544 or toll free: 1-877 624-4513