Nigel Lawrence

At the time of Nigel Lawrence's birth, Pine Lake was part of the Northwest Territories; today Pine Lake is located in Alberta. Lawrence was the youngest son of Ellen and Henry Lawrence, who emigrated from England. Lawrence started his artistic career at the age of 75, after his wife Gwendoline Rowman passed away. For inspiration, Lawrence would take long evening drives, and come home to sketch, using pastels, the epic prairie skies for which he is most famous for. Prior to his retirement, and the flourishing of artistic career later in life, Lawrence had been a banker, a rancher, a salesman and a collection agent. Lawrence’s work is often described as Primitive Western Realism, as it depicts the pleasures and the struggles of early pioneer life. The subject matter in Lawrence’s works referenced his experience growing up in Pine Lake. His work commonly includes renderings of horses, cattle, children, cowboys, farmers, and early settlements. Nigel Lawrence did not have any formal training; however, there is a refinement in the way he layered the different colours of pastel. The prairie skies in his collection range from blizzards to sunsets, and everything in-between. Due to the subject matter of his work, Lawrence became a historian as well as an artist. In all of his artwork, one sees breathtaking prairie skies and the powerful stories of Alberta’s early history. Lawrence passed away in Red Deer, Alberta at the age of 89.