Marc Castelli, Artist Advocate for the Chesapeake by Philip J. Webster, illustrations and captions by Marc Castelli aiming from his studio in rural C hestertown, Maryland, artist Marc Castelli has captured the way of life of Chesapeake watermen and sailors in a way few others have attempted and even fewer have mas tered . As his brush meets paper, he beco mes one of them-culling for oysters in the chill of an early winter morning or clam bering up the springboard of a log canoe in a summer's race. Long before Castelli approaches an easel, he spends considerable time on the water experiencing firsthand what he is painting, rather than simply reporting what he sees. M arc Castelli has drawn pictures for as long as he can remember. Growing up in a military family and moving frequently to places such as Japan, Burma, and Italy-always the "new kid on the block"- he found solace in his sketch pad. While still in high school, he chose to pursue a career as an artist rather than follow his father to West Point and the military. H e has never looked back. After his graduation from the University of Colorado, Castelli moved to the shores of Lake Michigan and eventually found his way to Maryland's Eastern Shore. There, he became captivated by the water and, even more so, those who sail and work on it. His own experience on the water began with sailing scows in the Midwest in the 1970s and '80s, "not for fun, but to race." The attraction to racing led to his wo rk painting five America's C up challenges in the 1990s and early 2000s, the last Whitbread Round-the-World Race, and recently the unique racing log canoes of the C hesapeake Bay. ''As an actual participant," Castelli explains, "I have more of an intimate point of view that at times contrasts sharpl y with the standard images of the marine art genre. This hands-o n experience lends a veracity to the non-classical viewpoints that I favor." Among Castelli's tools in trade is his conversatio nal ease that allows him to talk and listen to those he is painting, to understand them. He possesses an ability to work side-by-s ide with his subj ects and be accepted by them. And with the use of thousands of personal photographs, sketches, and drawings, he works to portray in art those who work and love the water and their boats that make it possible.
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Snatching at Hawks/Miss Kelley, 22 x 30 inches, watercolor In commercial fishing, a "hawk" is a flag used to mark the ends to a line ofgear. In this case it marks the end of a trot!ine of crab pots, which will be the next set to haul, empty, re-bait, and reset. In the foreground is a bushel basket of razor clams that are used to entice the blue crabs into the pot. While many generations of watermen have handed down their knowledge of crabs, the very mobile crustacean remains a wily and unpredictable quarry.
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SEA HISTORY 132, AUTUMN 2010