{"id":7549,"date":"2026-02-09T17:54:21","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T22:54:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadabiznews.ca\/press-releases\/pr\/painting-purchased-60-years-ago-for-10-expected-to-raise-up-to-25000-for-connecticuts-needy\/"},"modified":"2026-02-09T17:54:21","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T22:54:21","slug":"painting-purchased-60-years-ago-for-10-expected-to-raise-up-to-25000-for-connecticuts-needy","status":"publish","type":"press-releases","link":"https:\/\/canadabiznews.ca\/press-releases\/pr\/painting-purchased-60-years-ago-for-10-expected-to-raise-up-to-25000-for-connecticuts-needy\/","title":{"rendered":"Painting purchased 60 years ago for $10 expected to raise up to $25,000 for Connecticut\u2019s needy"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
<\/a>\n

Cat with Yarn, Butterflies & Flowers by Maud Lewis, pictured circa 1980 on the wall in the above family photo supplied by consignor Beth Chipman, will be offered in Miller & Miller’s Post-War Folk Art auction slated for Feb. 12, 2026.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/a>\n

Maud Lewis Fluffy White Cat with Yarn, Butterflies, Flowers<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u2018The fact there are 42 million Americans on the SNAP program is appalling\u2019<\/i><\/p>\n

NEW HAMBURG, ONTARIO, CANADA, February 9, 2026 \/EINPresswire.com<\/a>\/ — A painting worth an estimated CA$20,000 to $25,000 by one of Canada\u2019s most prominent folk artists is being sent back to Canada and sold by its American owner who plans to donate the proceeds to the needy in her home state of Connecticut.<\/p>\n

\u201cRecently, I\u2019d been wondering how I could make a significant difference in this troubled world,\u201d says Beth Chipman, 82. \u201cThen, one night I had an epiphany at two in the morning. I thought, \u2018that\u2019s it\u2019. I couldn\u2019t sleep for the rest of the night.\u201d<\/p>\n

The painting is by the late Maud Lewis (1903-1970), who lived alongside her illiterate husband in a tiny one room house with no running water in Marshalltown, Nova Scotia. She lived in poverty and despite being crippled with rheumatoid arthritis, a painful and debilitating condition, she spent her time painting cheerful, colourful pictures of her surroundings and the local landscape. A 2017 movie about her life, called Maudie, starring Oscar-nominated actors Sally Hawkins and Ethan Hawke, helped to escalate interest in her life and work.<\/p>\n

Chipman\u2019s mother bought \u2018Cat with Yarn, Butterflies, Flowers<\/a>\u2019 directly from the artist outside her home almost 60 years ago. Both bedazzled by the artist\u2019s work and deeply touched by her living conditions, she was happy to pay the asking price of $10. The painting hung in her parents\u2019 home in Atlantic Canada for as long as Chipman can remember and when her mother died in 2007 she inherited it and brought it back to her own home in the U.S., treasuring it as a familiar family fixture, ever-present during their many family get togethers over the years.<\/p>\n

The painting will now be sent back to Canada and sold by New Hamburg, Ontario based Miller & Miller Auctions on Feb. 12, 2026 at its Canadian Folk Art auction<\/a>. (Miller & Miller holds the world record for a Maud Lewis painting after selling her \u2018Black Truck\u2019 in 2022 for CA$350,000 \u2013 a painting that was once traded for a few grilled lunches.)<\/p>\n

In the spirit of generosity, Chipman plans to donate the proceeds in memory of her mother to help feed the hungry and support the homeless in Connecticut, inspired by her mother\u2019s own kindness and a growing need in the United States. \u201cThe fact that there are 42 million Americans on the SNAP program is appalling,\u201d she says, referring to the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, still commonly referred to as the food stamp program. \u201cHere in the small state of Connecticut, there are 360,000 people in the program \u2013 that\u2019s one in nine residents. It\u2019s disgraceful and we can do better.\u201d She says there are several non-profit organizations in her area which may receive funds from the sale of the painting.<\/p>\n

Chipman remembers her mother as a kind and generous person. One of her early childhood memories dates back to the 1940s when her mother gave her a plate of food \u201cto take out to a hobo sitting under the apple tree in the backyard. We lived close to the railway tracks and occasionally a hobo would visit looking for food. Mum was always happy to share what we had with those less fortunate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chipman knows there are many other ways to spend the auction proceeds but her mind has been made up. \u201cThis just feels right,\u201d she says. \u201cThe original $10 that Mum spent has been turned into much more. It reminds me of the tale of the loaves and fish.\u201d (A reference to the biblical story of Jesus miraculously feeding a crowd of 5,000 people with just a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish.) \u201cMiracles do happen.”<\/p>\n

For more information, please contact Ethan Miller at 1-519-573-3710.<\/p>\n

Ethan Miller
\nMiller & Miller Auctions
\n+1 519-573-3710
\ninfo@millerandmillerauctions.com<\/p>\n

\n Legal Disclaimer:\n<\/p>\n

\n EIN Presswire provides this news content “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability
\n for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this
\n article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cat with Yarn, Butterflies & Flowers by Maud Lewis, pictured circa 1980 on the wall in the above family photo supplied by consignor Beth Chipman, will be offered in Miller & Miller’s Post-War Folk Art auction slated for Feb. 12, 2026. Maud Lewis Fluffy White Cat with Yarn, Butterflies, Flowers \u2018The fact there are 42 … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":7550,"template":"","class_list":["post-7549","press-releases","type-press-releases","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadabiznews.ca\/press-releases\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-releases\/7549","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadabiznews.ca\/press-releases\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-releases"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadabiznews.ca\/press-releases\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/press-releases"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadabiznews.ca\/press-releases\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7550"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadabiznews.ca\/press-releases\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7549"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}