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“CHESAPEAKE RELIC”
Over my 40 years of exploring the Chesapeake region, I’ve often seen these once- proud vessels reduced to derelicts. Called deadrises, due to the configuration of their hulls, they are well suited to the bay’s short, choppy seas and shoal waters. Constructed of native wood and built by local craftsmen, they are perfectly suited for harvesting the bounty of the Chesapeake. They could easily be adapted for fishing, crabbing, clamming, and oystering and were beloved by their owners. In 1988…
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“Ponte Vecchio”
The Arno River winds its way from the source in the Apennine Mountains westward to the Tyrrhenian Sea near Pisa. In Florence numerous bridges span it, the most notable and oldest being the Ponte Vecchio or “Old Bridge”. The bridge’s origin dates prior to 966 and during much of the early days butchers occupied shops on both sides of the bridge. Today Ponte Vecchio is lined with the finest of jewelers and art merchants. I took a position along the…
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“Palazzo Vecchio”
My wife Kathy and I recently spent eleven days in Italy, primarily in the historic and cultural center of Tuscany, which is Florence. The plan was that I would do several paintings on location as well as research for larger pieces to be created back in my Virginia studio. These pieces were painted while working directly from the subjects. The “Impressionists” who left their studios in the 19th century to paint in nature began this practice. The French called this…
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“Day’s End on the Chesapeake”
In this oil painting, we see a skipjack sailing for home after a long day of work. These wooden vessels were designed and built to haul general cargo and dredge oysters on the Chesapeake Bay. There are a few still oystering even today in the Maryland waters of the bay. On the horizon, we see massive storm clouds, which can easily threaten these vessels, some over one hundred years old. Notice the green light on the skipjack. This is…
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