Homer's "Sailing the Catboat"

Holiday shopping, end-of-the-year tasks, over-scheduled days – yes, 'tis the season. With that in mind today's blog takes a bit of a detour. My goal remains true: a focus along the water with a dose of escapism and maybe some levity along the way, but today's vehicle is the canvas more than the page. With this in mind, let's take advantage of the wonderful flexibility of blogs and explore the saltwater escapism offered by maritime artists.

You want to make your way south to the Bahamas, set sail and head off with friends just as you might have done in your youth? It might be contemporary thought, but Winslow Homer beat you to it by more than a hundred years. A generation ago, my dad kept a small, reproduced copy of this painting on his work desk. He wasn't the first or last, and with good reason.

(SAILING THE CATBOAT by Winslow Homer, 1836-1910)

Some years ago I met Michael Keane when his black sandbagger, which looks very similar to the one in the image below, was being finished in a boat shop alongside my own sailboat. His works sell very well, and if you examine one, you will know why.

Don Demers grew up in Massachusetts, but he has deep roots in Maine. His paintings reveal the care and authority that comes from time at sea. View Scalloping off Nantucket for a few moments and you can feel the biting chill in your hands.

(Scalloping off Nantucket, Don Demers)

Or take a look at Richard Loud's detailed capture of the era of sail.

But you can also have some fun along the way, which brings me to a New England maritime artist by the name of David Witbeck.

(Toby and Patrick by David Witbeck)

I envy the way Homer, Keane, Demers, Loud, and Witbeck capture the world along the water. I admire them all and in some way their individual works likely influence my attempts to capture a sense of place.

I hope you enjoy their work, as well.

And with this, I close by signing off for the year wishing everyone a safe holiday season filled with cheer, warm cider, spiked egg-nog, and safe travel.

Oh, and e-readers.

Don't forget the e-readers.

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