"Offloading the Catch"

Elsworth at Harrison’s, Knapp’s Narrows, Tilghman Island, Maryland. This is a small study painting for the major oil “Offloading the Catch at Tilghman Island”.

During the early 1980s I frequented Tilghman Island on the eastern shore of  Maryland when I began painting the oyster dredging skipjacks. The first of these vessels I sailed aboard was the Elsworth, built in 1901 at Hudson, Maryland. These  skipjacks would leave the harbor long before daybreak to venture out to the oyster beds where at daybreak they’re drop their dredges overboard and begin catching these succulent bivalves. The boats would then tack across the oyster “rocks” dragging steel dredges throughout the day. By sundown the dredge boats were required to be back at the dock ready for unloading the catch. Here we see Elsworth at Harrison’s Oyster House on Tilghman with her catch unloaded. This is a study for a major painting.

Oil on Linen 8″ x 15″. Framed 14″ x 21″.             $ 4,450 SOLD.