M
y journey to paint old boats and harbors on location began in the early 1990s. My love for old wooden boats and schooners led to years of studying artwork created by the Old Masters of ships, schooners, pirate ships, and clipper ships in books and museums, and ultimately on a quest to experience painting harbors and boats en plein air.
Born and bred in Indiana, a mostly land-locked mid-western state, I first traveled to Michigan in 1992 to paint on location in the harbors of the Great Lakes, but I began reading about an old artist colony in Gloucester, Massachusetts, which piqued my interest and inspired me to seek out the working fishing town. The Rocky Neck Art Colony was established in the 19th
The Lynx at Dry Dock, Gloucester Marine Railway, Rocky Neck, 21 x 14 inches, oil on linen (2017) 26
century, and its members were artists I admired: Anthony Thieme, Aldro Hibbard, Emile Gruppe, and Frederick Mulhapt, among many others. Later, American Impressionists were attracted to the area and eventually formed the Rockport Art Association. Traveling to Gloucester and Rockport not long thereafter for a several-weeks-long painting trip, I came to realize that I always feel at home in these working waterfront communities, where boats and fishermen going about their daily business are part of the everyday scenery. I love the sights and sounds and smells that make the harbors recognizable as places of maritime labor and seafaring culture. Gloucester, considered to be America’s oldest working seaport, fulfilled my every expectation, and I have traveled many times to paint there ever since. Following these first expeditions, in 1994 I began making trips to Europe, the first of many extended plein air painting trips. Over many years, my wife and I always sought out the old harbors in each country we visited—France, Italy, Spain, England, and The Netherlands. It was a joy to spend the day painting along the waterfront, then enjoy a meal of freshcaught fish. Prior to each trip, my wife would do the legwork: reading the maps, studying up on local culture, and planning our itinerary, and during our travels she would shoot video and photograph me painting on location. Later, we would use the images, along with the art I created, to make up brochures about the paintings I made and to produce 20-to-30-minute professional videos from each trip. To make a livelihood as an artist, these promotional materials are key to getting the word out there and finding galleries and clients who might be interested in working with you. It was the dream of a lifetime to travel to all these places, immerse myself in the local environment, and paint what I observed. My artistic background began early in life. I studied art in high school and college, but I also pursued interests in music and sports. I continued my education in Los Angeles, earning a master’s degree in fine art. My first job as a professional artist was in sports illustration. I had comSEA HISTORY 179, SUMMER 2022
