A Painter’s Poems comprises poetry that Pratt has written over the past 50 years, echoing his career as a painter. They are autobiographical – “pages from a diary.” They respond to encounters with people, places, and events that have had particular significance and impact on his working life. My poetry is a personal exorcism; I am aware that exorcism is not always ‘art’. It is a self-portrait, random pages from a ‘diary’ in code, and portraits of others, friends, anonymous, given the protection of pronouns. I use simple language: some poetry glitters and illuminates like a foyer chandelier; I think mine as a single light bulb in a porch. Christopher Pratt 1999

Christopher Pratt (b. December 9, 1935) is one of Canada's most prominent painters and printmakers. After studies at the Glasgow School of Art, Scotland (1957-1959), Pratt completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Mount Allison University in New Brunswick in 1961. Pratt's first solo exhibition took place at the Memorial University Art Gallery in St. John's in 1965. Since then, Pratt has exhibited extensively both nationally and internationally, and is the subject of many substantial publications. He is a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (ARCA), a member of the Canadian Society of Graphic Art, and a Companion of the Order of Canada. In 1980, Pratt designed the Provincial Flag of Newfoundland and Labrador. He lives in Newfoundland in St. Mary's Bay along the Salmonier River.

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