Born in St. Catharines, Ontario in 1908, Mary Prittie graduated and worked as a Registered Nurse before taking up painting fine art.

Her nursing career took her to Niagara Falls, NY and Buffalo in the years 1933-1939.

Mary was a Canadian landscape painter closely associated with the Niagara region of Ontario, where much of her work was inspired by the Welland Canal, Port Colborne, and surrounding communities.

Moving to Port Colborne in 1939, she devoted her life to capturing the quiet poetry of the Niagara region. A gifted painter with an instinctive eye for atmosphere and natural light, one of the key early themes of her work was Crystal Beach. The water, rides, and summer atmosphere there was an inspiration for much of her work throughout her career.

Mary developed a deep connection to the natural beauty of the farm life in the Niagara area. Whether it was the golden stillness of a summer afternoon in the family farm apple orchard, the rugged geometry of the coal piles along Welland Canal, or the gentle peace of Lake Erie, she painted Niagara landscape paintings with the intention of preserving the moments that often slip unnoticed into memory.

Mary would often paint a similar location at different times of the year. Friends and collectors often remarked that her paintings felt “alive”—not only accurate depictions of place, but quiet reflections of the artist’s own appreciation for the subtle beauty of everyday nature.

Her work was exhibited widely throughout Ontario, including Niagara, Toronto, and other regional gallery settings, reflecting her long-standing presence within the Ontario art community.

Mary’s artistic journey was influenced by the rich cultural heritage of Niagara, its agricultural roots, and the humble grandeur of the region’s natural spaces. She was a regular presence at local art societies, beginning with helping found the Port Colborne Art Club, and embraced the community of fellow painters who shared her love for the craft. Over the years, her work earned recognition, including from two Ontario Premiers, for its authenticity, sensitivity, and the way it evokes a sense of place that is unmistakably southern Ontario.

Today, Mary Prittie’s paintings are recognized as part of the tradition of Canadian regional landscape painting, particularly within the cultural history of the Niagara Peninsula. Through her art, Mary Elizabeth Prittie invites viewers to pause, breathe, and experience the Niagara landscape as she saw it—full of grace, quiet drama, and enduring beauty.