Joy Laking

Joy Snihur Wyatt Laking (born 1950) is a Canadian visual artist and author based in Nova Scotia, especially known for her watercolour depictions of Nova Scotian scenes. Born to an artistic family in Ontario, Laking painted with her mother at a young age before earning a Bachelor of Arts in 1972, subsequently moving to Nova Scotia where she went on to earn a national reputation. Laking opened a gallery in 1988 at her Portapique home to display her work, which remains open by appointment as of 2025.

Laking's paintings are characterized by representational realism, and have been displayed in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario, and Quebec – including exhibitions at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia and the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington. Her writings include Invisible Prisons, a play performed in Nova Scotia and New York; and the books Colours in Winter and The Painted Province, published in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Laking's work has earned her awards such as the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Cobequid Arts Council and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.