There are so many interesting sights along the waterways of our country.  The rivers, lakes, ponds, and marshes border historic and picturesque places.  Here are just a few I have enjoyed painting in recent years.

      
CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH STATUE, JAMESTOWN, VIRGINIA

The site of the Jamestown Colony is on the broad James River in the flat Tidewater area of Virginia.  Recent excavations have revealed far more about the original location of the Jamestown fort.  The statue honoring Captain John Smith looks out over the James River.

     
CASTILLO DE SAN MARCO, ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA

This Spanish fort built in 1672, was constructed of "coquina," a natural limestone composed of broken shells and coral.  It guards the oldest European settlement in the United States.  The fort's antique guns still point toward the entrance to the harbor.

      
MONHEGAN ISLAND, MAINE

A short boat ride from the mainland at New Harbor, Maine, brings you to Monhegan Island---long an active fishing and lobstering village---and now a prime destination for summer visitors.  We walked across the island to the uninhabited side of the island and watched the waves break on the rocky coast.

          
BRIDGE OF LIONS, ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA

This picturesque bridge is obviously named for the wonderful lions that "guard" the entrance to the bridge.  I sat next to the roadway leading to the bridge, and received numerous "words of encouragement" from cars entering the bridge.  Well, at least I like to think they were words of encouragement. 

      
FLOATING BRIDGE, POND VILLAGE, BROOKFIELD, VERMONT

This bridge over a small pond is said to be unique, or nearly so. Originally built in 1860 and floating on barrels, the roadway of the bridge was nearly under water when I painted it.  The structure has since been repaired, I understand, and still serves as a passageway on that small Vermont road.

      
TIDAL CREEK, SMITHFIELD, VIRGINIA

A small tributary of the Pagan River, which itself is a tributary of the James River.  I recently drove over the small bridge from which I did this painting, and found it was crawling with fiddler crabs crossing from one side to the other.

LAKE POWELL, ARIZONA

I sat in direct Arizona sunlight to do this sketch.  In the dry heat, the water evaporated from the paper as soon as I laid it down with my brush.  A stiff breeze even hastened the process!  The Glen Canyon Dam is just to the right outside of the picture.  The colors appear almost too intense in the sketch---but I do believe they are quite accurate.

ABANDONED BOAT, POQUOSON, VIRGINIA

Messick's Point in Poquoson, Virginia, is a very small and authentic fishing outpost. A number of Chesapeake "deadrise" workboats call it home, and there is a small seafood processing plant ready to receive their catches.  Eventually a boat becomes to old to serve its purpose, and lies abandoned to rot away in the marsh.  It is a sad sight---but always attractive to the artist.