A Painters Journey

I’ve been hard at work and am beginning to see the end in sight as I prepare for my 5th Waterfowl Festival and the festival's 49th! This one is especially important for me since I have been honored to be chosen to be the Featured Artist. And that means I need twice as much of my best work as I’ve had in the past!

  The original "Podgin' for Oysters" 48 x 36 oil will be availble for sale at the festival. 

The posters have been printed and it will be interesting to see how they do, as it was pointed out that there has never been a human being featured on the Waterfowl Poster. Of  course, there are a few seagulls and ospreys in the painting, but it's  really about the working waterman. This festival was started as a wildlife event and it still is primarily focused on our feathered, furred and scaly friends. 

Chesapeake Bay Watermen have sometimes  been negatively portrayed because of  opposition to the rules set forth by the Department of Natural Resources. Many feel that the bottom of the Bay is owned by no one and everyone should have the right to take from it. The environmentalists say that this  view often doesn’t take into account the declining resources and the need to protect the bottom and the waters of the Bay. They believe that rules and sanctuaries are essential to ensuring good harvests of our crabs, oysters and fish for generations to come. 

My personal experience with waterman (mostly from Tilghman Island) is that they are  good, hardworking family men. The oldest generation remembers when the Bay was generous in its bounty and yearns for those days, but the current generation, for the most part, are more aware of the many forces at work that threaten their livelihood and many are more willing to work with the environmentalists. Rob Bowan, the waterman portrayed in my featured painting, is a good example of a forward-thinking waterman. He leases and cares for at least two oyster sanctuaries. Yet he is also bound to the past in that his favorite way of harvesting oysters is by hand tonging, as portrayed in my painting. It’s backbreaking work and takes good balance and strength, but it is also the method that has been employed since colonial times and disturbs the bottom the least and encourages new oyster growth. Rob is also portrayed with his boat in my painting titled “Provider” (see below. 36 x 36 oil, SOLD)  I didn’t know him then, but I loved the name of his boat and the grace he showed while he tonged the oysters.

I’m only an observer, one who looks and sees something that calls to me to paint it. I don’t fish or oyster and my experience with the Bay has been that of the sailer, water skier, swimmer and occasional crabber. But I feel especially fortunate to be called to this latest incarnation of my theme “ working people” as I get to know the people who depend on this vast body of water for their livelihood. It’s a privilege and honor to be able to use my skills to produce work that hopefully honors the waterman community and to add my voice to the thousands of other working artists who find beauty in the interaction of man and the sea.

Thanks for reading. See you at the white tent! Paintings not sold at festival will be posted on my website after the festival.

If you wish to purchase a poster, framed or unframed, they will be available at my booth or online at www.waterfowlfestival.org or by calling 410-822-4567.