Ordinary Things: The Loss of the Waterwitch & Other Tales

Description

He taught us to look slowly — and to see beauty where others see nothing. What can an ordinary fence post, a weathered boat, or an empty room reveal? In Ordinary Things, celebrated Canadian artist Christopher Pratt reflects on the quiet magic hidden in everyday life, drawing on a lifetime of painting in Newfoundland.

Pratt explains how he finds the extraordinary in the ordinary — the stark landscapes, the haunting maritime history, the play of light on simple forms. Central to the collection is the loss of the Waterwitch, a story weaving personal memory with the island’s seafaring past. Part memoir, part artistic meditation, these tales reveal why his precise, minimalist vision became so vital to modern Canadian art.

A beautifully written book for art lovers, memoir readers, and anyone who believes Pratt’s Newfoundland — its light, its weather, its working boats — becomes a character in its own right throughout these pages. the ordinary is never really ordinary.

What can an ordinary fence post, a weathered boat, or an empty room reveal? In Ordinary Things: The Loss of the Waterwitch & Other Tales, celebrated Canadian artist Christopher Pratt reflects on the quiet magic hidden in everyday life.

Drawing on a lifetime of painting in Newfoundland, Pratt explains how he finds the extraordinary in the ordinary — the stark landscapes, the haunting maritime history, the play of light on simple forms. Central to the collection is the loss of the Waterwitch, a story that weaves personal memory with the island’s seafaring past.

Part memoir, part artistic meditation, these tales reveal why Pratt’s precise, minimalist vision became so vital to modern Canadian art: he taught us to look slowly, and to see beauty where others see nothing. Through his eyes, the familiar becomes unforgettable.

A beautifully written book for art lovers, memoir readers, and anyone who believes the ordinary is never really ordinary.