RARITAN YACHT CLUB, PERTH AMBOY, NEW JERSEY

This marvelous little structure overlooks the Raritan Yacht Club on the body of water that separates Staten Island from the New Jersey mainland.  It is undoubtedly used for controlling races.  Only two sailboats appear in the sketch, but perhaps a hundred more are moored in that location to the right of the painting.  I noted one hour and a half on the back of the sketch.

                     
VARENNA, LAKE COMO, ITALY

Varenna is a picture book village on the shore of Lake Como.  We visited there on the recommendation of a famous travel writer, but found that other tourists had also read his book and filled the hotels---except for one room---a room over a bar which was noisy into the wee hours of night.

                  
HARBOR ENTRANCE, RHODES, GREECE

The “Colossus of Rhodes” stood somewhere near this present entrance to the harbor of Rhodes, its great legs spanning the channel.  One of the wonders of the ancient world, the Colossus has completely disappeared.  The Agios Nikolaos Lighthouse is in the background beyond the pillars at the entrance. 

                
TANNER’S SQUARE AND ROZENHOEDKAAL, BRUGES, BELGIUM

Canals lend additional charm to the remarkable medieval city of Bruges.  I was surprised that none of the usual passersby looked over my shoulder while I was doing this sketch.

After I finished, I discovered that another painter was doing an elaborate oil painting only twenty feet from where I sat, and he got all of the attention!

                     
WHEELER’S ISLAND, STONY CREEK, CONNECTICUT

Relatives lived in Stony Creek for many years---and I visited them every chance I could get from 1945 onward.  I consider it one of the most picturesque places on the East Coast, with its numerous small granite islands---such as Wheeler’s Island in the center of the sketch.  I sat on a granite wall to do this painting, and suffered from temporary paralysis of the posterior when it was done!

               
FERRY TO STATEN ISLAND, PERTH AMBOY, NEW JERSEY

The quaint “Tottenville Ferry” shed has been reconstructed as an historic landmark.  However, there is no sign of a ferry---or even a trace of Tottenville on the other side!   I suppose Tottenville still exists, but if so, it is now reached by other means---for the ferry is long gone.  I think I was attracted as much by the name as by the ferry building.

                
TUG “APACHE,” SUNSET CREEK, HAMPTON, VIRGINIA

This tug is so typical of the little work boats so active on all of our waterways.  I did this sketch on a float in a marina, after asking permission from the owners (which I always try to do!).  The float offered the best viewpoint, but I soon discovered that it also moved about more than I would have liked.  I worked quickly and for once was happy to be finished.

              
FISHING BOAT, HAMPTON, VIRGINIA

The boat is tied to the pier of a large seafood processing plant in a community long famous for its seafood industry.  However, other enterprises are giving strong competition.  A swanky hotel is just to the left outside the picture---and the Virginia Air and Space Museum is just outside the picture to the right!   

                  
PEGGY’S COVE, NOVA SCOTIA

Peggy’s Cove is indeed picturesque, just as advertised.  The difficulty with such places is the problem of selecting a good vantage point for a sketch---there are so many possibilities!  One fine and famous artist of our time spoke of the difficulty he had finding a good subject in Bermuda!   He wandered about for days overwhelmed.  I understand exactly what he means.

                 
FISHING BOATS, OLD HAMPTON

This sketch is a bit larger than my usual seven inch by ten inch format, and the style of painting is “looser,” which I like.  The water was done quickly.  I added darker color in streaks to a rather wet “wash” of underlying color, and when that was dry, I painted in some reflections from boats.  This process can easily go wrong, as any watercolorist will tell you.  Someone has called a successful watercolor a collection of “happy accidents.”

           
DORY SHOP, LUNENBURG, NOVA SCOTIA

The sleek lines of the sloop in the foreground contrast with the rough planking of the Dory shed behind it.  In that shop, a young man builds beautiful dories, identical to the fishing dories carried by the great Canadian fishing schooner “Bluenose,” built here in Lunenburg just hundreds of yards away from this spot.

     
BACK COVE, POQUOSON, VIRGINIA

Painting this old fishing pier put me in mind of “Motif Number One” in Rockport, Massachusetts, the celebrated fishing pier so popular as a subject for artists.  Even the shape is similar, although this is a rock-free Tidewater version.  The paint is faded, the roof is rusting, and the number “419” mysterious---but it is a charming subject for artists.

        
FISHERIES MUSEUM, LUNENBURG, NOVA SCOTIA

The bright red building houses a fine museum dedicated to the fishing industry for which Lunenburg is so famous.  Several handsome fishing boats from different eras line the museum pier.  Scores of boats were built along this shore, including the original “Bluenose,” the replica “Bluenose II,” and the replica of the “Bounty.”

      
OLD HAMPTON, VIRGINIA

Fishing boats still call Hampton homeport, although the fleet is drastically reduced from former days.  Watermen still pull in their crab pots, and women work at long tables as they have for generations picking those succulent blue crabs for market.

    
TUNA BOAT, BARNEGAT LIGHT, NEW JERSEY

The town of Barnegat Light on Long Beach Island, New Jersey, is both a popular summer resort and an active fishing port for sport and commercial fishing.  I cannot forget this painting for the reason that a large boat moved into the foreground when I was only half way through this sketch and completely obscured my view!  I finished by memory.

      
“DEAD RISE” WORKBOATS, HAMPTON, VIRGINIA

The “dead rise” workboat is peculiar to the Chesapeake Bay.  The word refers to the flat construction of the hull as it extends from the keel.  The boats are used by the watermen for fishing, crabbing, and clamming.  Invariably the boats are meticulously cared for; their owner’s pride obvious in the appearance of their freshly painted white hulls.

     
TUG AND FREIGHTER ON THE DELAWARE RIVER, PHILADELPHIA

The discerning eye will quickly notice that this tug and ship are from an earlier period.  This is one sketch that was not done from life.  I used a small black and white photograph as reference.  The picture was taken in the early forties by Mr. George Hay, my older cousin’s husband, who introduced me to the pleasures of photography and watercolor painting.  This little sketch is my tribute to an old friend and mentor, long deceased.