"C.A. Thayer at Hoquiam, Washington, " 22 " x 36 ", oil on can vas. The Thayer and her near sister Wawona are the only two surviving West Coast-built merchant sailing vessels. Both are 3-masted bald-headed schooners built by Hans Bendixsen on Humboldt Bay. Designed to carry deck loads of Northwest lumber, they were much larger than the little "mast and a half" schooners that operated in the exposed anchorages. These ships loaded at mill site wharves in less threatening harbors such as Hoquiam on Grays Harbor, shown here on a rare sunny day. Jn this painting, the Thayer is towing out behind the little 1886 harbor tug Traveler and passing the slightly smaller Bendixsen schooner Lucy built in 1890.
sketches that hinted of the precision that was to follow . After attending public schools in San Bernardino and furthering his education at California State College at San Bernardino, David decided to embark on a career as a full time artist. With no formal art training, his approach was to paint what he loved best- ships and the sea. Over time, his work has been well received by both the historical and fine art communities and he has ex.hibited widely. Russell Jinishian, art critic and former director of the Mystic Maritime Gallery, is one who recognizes some special qualities in Thimgan' s art: "Very few artists have devoted themselves to recreating the rich maritime history of the American West Coast, and ce1tainly no one with the purpose and skill of David Thirngan. But in addition to the forgotten vessels and harbors Thimgan researches and portrays, it's the spectacular, shimmering light his paintings contain that make them so unique. For, in the end Thimgan is a painter of light-from the warm mellow light ofearl y morning, to the intense sparkle of a mid-afternoon ocean." Today, David Thimgan ' s paintings are represented nationally by the Vallejo Gallery in Newport Beach, California. The gallery has dealt exclusively in pe26
riod marine paintings by 18th- and l 9thcentury artists since it opened in 1972, but, for Thimgan , gallery director Joseph Vallejo has made an exception: "David is, in fact, the only living artist we have ever represented. He is a versatile and talented painter, energetically endeavoring to improve the quality of every painting he creates. He is an artist who, I believe, will be long remembered." Back in his Northern California studio David assembles all of the components necessary to create his new painting. Carefully laid out are his photos, maps, charts, notes and sketches. Unlike many artists, he does absolutely no sketching on the canvas but begins applying paint directly to the sutface using broad brushes for background, building layer upon layer to create the sometimes soft, sometimes brilliant, light qualities that set his paintings apart. Light is the single organizing principle of a Thimgan painting and the one constant aspect in all of his work. When, after applying layers of background color, he f eels the light is consistent, he draws the vessel outlines directly into the scene with a detail brush. Using finer andfiner brushes the image is tightened until the subjects emerge rich in detail. On the canvas Galatea and Sea
Foam sway at their moorings beneath bluffs covered with giant, twisting cypress and Bishop pines. The sea is translucent, fluid and forceful. The mid-morning fog rises and embraces the entire scene, and everywhere the warm resonant light transforms the painting and captures a single
David Thimgan at his easel.
moment in time with great poetic beauty. The point is finally reached when David can look at his painting and realize he has done all he can.
Art for Mr. De Chevrieux 's ruticle was provided by Vallejo Gallery,1610 West Coast Hwy., Newport Beach CA 92663; 714 642-7945.
SIEA HISTORY 72, WINTER 1994-95