Piles of Birds: The Folk Art of Barry Colpitts

Barry Colpitts is a wood carver from West Jeddore on the Eastern Shore. This summer he mounts a show called *Piles of Birds* at the Craig Gallery, part of Alderney Landing, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. The exhibition consists of eight new pieces, including a full-sized throne made of seagulls, leaving little doubt of folk art's connection to the grotesque, or the gothic for that matter. Wood carving, arguably more than any other folk medium, displays those two traditions' physical distortions, humour, weird dimensionality and fantastical forces at play. There's a sense of funhouse spookiness, akin to episodes of *The Hilarious House of Frankenstein* or the *The Simpsons*'s "Treehouse of Horror" episodes. Colpitts's work is also featured at this year's Nova Scotia Folk Art Festival in Lunenburg (Lunenburg Arena, Sunday, August 2nd, noon to 4pm), including on the festival poster. During the exhibition's run, Colpitts will work on the Dartmouth waterfront, call ahead for times. (SF)