Willem Eerland, "Cutter Near the Rounding Mark" 6 1/4 x 9 1/2, oil. Willem Eerland lives in a small village near Rotterdam, T he Netherlands, where he became fascinated with sailing by the age of fi ve and, since his fa ther was a tugboat captain, he spent all his free time on the water, often sketching boats. Once out of school, he spent eight yea rs on tugboats, two of which he captained. H e then briefly took drawing and painting lessons and began his art career. H e researches his painring intensively, which has led him to publish articl es in Du tc h m aritim e m agaz in es. Eerland chooses his subj ects freely, because, in his wo rds, "First, I painr for myself."
Leonard Mizerek, "Setting Sail," 22 x 34, oil. "Bringing light into my work has been a current focus. I enjoy looking for the hidden colors in natu ral light. I ofren look at the sky or at refl ections in the sea and see how my perception of color changes fro m day to day. Light al ters the color of all obj ects and to uches those nearby. It sets a mood or evokes an emotion .. . . I prefer maritime subjects because I enjoy the way water refl ects the sky, the coas t and the weather. It mirrors the shapes of obj ects and intensifies their light. I pai nt outdoors to capture the light firsthand and bring out all th e color and lumin os ity."
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SEA HISTORY 102, AUTUMN 2002