Joseph (Joe) Purcell

Artist Bio: Joseph Douglas Purcell (1927-2017)

Born and lived in Halifax, N.S., Joseph Purcell studied at the Nova Scotia College of Art where he studied for three years on scholarships. After he left the college he began a series of paintings interpreting Nova Scotia towns and the activity of the East Coast and Atlantic fishing industry. By 1947 he had established himself as a professional painter. Joe also completed a series of murals for the dining rooms in the Nova Scotian Hotel and the Victoria General Hospital. In 1953, he moved with his artist wife to Lunenburg. There he found much of the subject-matter that was to be the basis for his paintings for the rest of his career. Joseph was known for working in watercolour and oil. He established himself as one of the most popular artists working in Atlantic Canada, and his paintings are in collections all over the world including Britain, Continental Europe, the United States, and Australia as well as all over Canada.