…as an artist by yourself, and the support of my friends and family has meant the world to me. Without them, and without patronage, I would not be able to do what I do. I am very lucky to have all three, and especially for what I do, which is paint water, it helps to have friends with boats. When my good friends Chris and Bruce asked me to sail their lovely boat back from The Bahamas to Charleston, I jumped at the chance, gathering a mix a friends and family to help me sail her back.
Halfway through the trip, and not an hour after we lifted anchor and decided to jump off the Bahamian shelf to make the big sail back, the motor died with an ominous puff of black smoke. Once again, it helped to have friends who were not flustered, but leaned into adventure and decided to continue to sail.
It was also nice they barely rolled their eyes as I slipped into the water to swim like mad ahead of the boat, camera in tow, when I realized we were becalmed and in the middle of a 16 mile reflection pool. Even a becalmed boat creates ripples, so to get an absolutely flat expanse, I had to get away from the boat. This image is the result of the swim, and the inspiration for Pipedream, a 20x20” oil painting on aluminum (process posts to follow).
And while out in the middle of it all, it is a nice to be able to put your feet up and realize just how beautiful life is, especially with great friends. Thank you, all of you, for helping me become who I am and allowing me to do what I do.
