About
Mary Pratt
In 2007, Canada Post released a new stamp featuring a colourful painting of three jam bottles by East Coast artist Mary Pratt. Her work displays a nearly photographic realism, focusing on everyday objects connected with raising a family or running a home. Just before the stamp came out, Mary Pratt's official portrait of her friend, former governor general Adrienne Clarkson, was unveiled at Rideau Hall. Although she has been getting a lot of attention lately, she has been painting for most of her seventy-three years. Mary Pratt was born in Fredericton, New Brunswick, where she and her sister enjoyed an idyllic childhood. Her father was a lawyer and prominent local politician; her mother ran the household and tinted photographs on the side. Mary Pratt studied fine arts at Mount Allison University, where she met her future husband, the artist Christopher Pratt. In 1963, they moved to Salmonier, Newfoundland.