I can't imagine living far from the sea!  We love to visit the great mountains and vistas of the West---but there is so much salt water in my blood that I become nervous when I am landlocked too long.  The following sketches were done in a variety of locations.  Two of them were done on lakes and waterways---the rest smell of saltwater.
 

     
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.  See Large Watercolor of Painting