Small boat art

[CharlieJ]

folks -in case you wonder, the preceding was one of Laura's paintings, of our anchor lantern, which is a kerosene lantern.

I haven't taken time as yet to post a background for us, but Laura is a working, professional artist. She does marine birds and coastal scenes. Here's her web site-

www.griffithart.com.

And here's a pic of her as she looked one day when I came home and found she had sanded all of the insides of the cockpit lockers.

[LauraG]

Another test

[s/v Faith]

Another test

Laura,

  That is absolutely beautiful!  Thank you for posting it here.   ;D

[LauraG]

I did that from a photo I took about 10 miles southwest of New Orleans.  I'm not much of a morning person except when we are on the boat. Mornings are the most serene part of the day and I love to sit in the cockpit and watch the sunrise while I sip on my first cup of coffee. 

[Pixie Dust]

Laura, that is absolutely beautiful!  Thank you for sharing.  You and Charlie are a very talented couple!
I have really enjoyed your entries.

[Zen]

LauraG
Wonderful art work. As an artist myself I've tried my hand at painting, loved water colors, did not do much in oils . Is most of your work done in oils? Do you generally work from Photos or do you do live sittings, then memory and or photo?

Have you done any work with metal or wood burning with say propane torch, if you use that onboard. ( just wanted to bring things back on topic as well )  :D

[LauraG]

Thanks Zen,
I paint with acrylics. I have tried watercolors but find them difficult as the process is just the opposite of acrylics or oils. I started working with pastels not long ago, particularly because they would be much easier to carry aboard with me. So far, I work exclusively from photos, although I do deviate from them and sometimes work from several photos at the same time. My memory isn't so good but I would like to try some plein aire work. I have played around with woodburning on gourds but I really prefer working with color.  I have done a lot of cutting, carving and painting gourds. The saw I use to cut them is 12 volt so I could easily use it on board although I haven't.

[Zen]

Yes, acrylics, thats it. I have a set of them which I used a couple of times. But never got into them that much. And yes, water color is a difficult medium. I do like the softness of the Pastels. Maybe something I'll explore on while on the hook, between doing some photography, computer art, and making music  :D
I think doing some painting while afloat would be perfect. I just got a great image for a photo of that...
I do like to do some ceramic carving while onboard. It is nice even in the marina until some hot roder makes a big wake grrrrrrrrrr    >:(

I ran across someone who did some wonderful art on Stainless steel with a propane torch. She was able to some some color changes by how close or far she held the flame.


and now back to our regular schedule topic  :)

Thanks Zen,
I paint with acrylics. I have tried watercolors but find them difficult as the process is just the opposite of acrylics or oils. I started working with pastels not long ago, particularly because they would be much easier to carry aboard with me. So far, I work exclusively from photos, although I do deviate from them and sometimes work from several photos at the same time. My memory isn't so good but I would like to try some plein aire work. I have played around with woodburning on gourds but I really prefer working with color.  I have done a lot of cutting, carving and painting gourds. The saw I use to cut them is 12 volt so I could easily use it on board although I haven't.

[s/v Faith]

I split this off of the 'Fuels' discussion to encourage more posting of 'small boat art' (or maybe not so small).

  I would really like to see more.  I took a couple years, but am hardly able to draw recognisable stick figures....  :P

  However, I know there is some great stuff out there.  Anyone got any to post ???

[CapnK]

Laura's art

ROCKS!. :)

I bought several of her hand-painted gourds a couple years ago, one for each of the women in my life (that would be my sisters, and Mom). They all loved them.

Guys - hint - your Lady will too. :)

I'd like to see others art, too, if anyone has any to share. I need to get back to painting and drawing, but have just been to darned busy. I've had a hard time even gatting a chance to throw some clay on the wheel, lately...

[CharlieJ]

Thank You Kurt. Unfortunately after painting something over 800 gourds in the past 4 years, Laura has somewhat burned out on them. So she is taking a hiatus from doing them, EXCEPT on special order. In fact,  if you'll check out her newly updated web site, she doesn't even have them shown anymore. I think they were wonderful, and she had finally gotten to the point where she was doing  well with  them, but I can certainly understand her feelings.

She IS still doing paintings, both commissioned and for the galleries and still has many prints available. Check it out-

www..grifithart.com

End of the commercial messages :D

[Zen]

Nice idea. perhaps we can see some cool stuff. It does not have to be great stuff folks, art is art.  8)
It is the eyes of the be holder thing...

I do not have any boat painting things. Mostly mine have been photography and computers. I will dig up a couple of my favorites from my old Ariel ( less the topless ex) on CD somewhere and post it.

The art section ( centerfold ) in This Old Boat is really the first place I go.

I did one ceramic piece of a sailboat for a class project once. I have it in my office. It is kind of funky but may I'll do a shot of it and post it anyway. Then people can say , oh if he can post that  :o I can post anything   ;D

[Zen]

Oh here it is.
This is a fairly abstract ceramic piece of a sailboat. It looks heavy and solid but it is not. It is hollow and very light. It is made of burlap strips covering a foam core ( foam is burned up when fired). Then that is covered in a slip (soft paste of clay). Then fired (baked) for several hours (read a day ). Next it is glazed and Raku fired ( a Japanese style of baking ceramics).
IT is then taken from the Kiln red hot and placed in a pot with saw dust and paper, then covered and left alone for about 20 minutes, then removed torched and cooled. THe sail area is gold/brown the body white. The base is a blue/green.

Not my best piece but it is kind of cool from the right angle  :)





who next...?

[CapnK]

Neat looking, Zen. Might have to try that techinique. Still trying to talk my sister (who I throw with) into doing a traditional Raku firing - I know she'll love it once we do it. :) 'Til then, the electric kiln will have to do...

[LauraG]

That's cool, Zen. I love the colors that raku firing creates. I loved working with clay, the little bit that I did. I didn't know you threw on the wheel, Kurt. Very cool. I tried that a few times, but it turned out that the wheel threw me! I really liked hand-working the clay though.

[CapnK]

Laura -

I was a Studio Art major in college (this during my 3rd attempt at "normalcy" back then... previous I'd picked 2 majors which persuaded me to drop out...). It was the only thing which could hold my interest for long enough that I *might* graduate (nope, almost, but never did - had to move to Hawaii instead of finishing that senior year, graduating cum laude from U of Life ;)). The big bonus - all the cute girls were in the Art classes. ;D If only I'd paid more attention to those brand new Apple Macintoshes in the design class, who knows where I might be right now... ;)

Working in clay, if you'll pardon the pun, is very centering.  ::) I've just remembered a wall plaque I made back then, sort of a half-hull on a map of the Carribean. And also one of my early acrylics, a spookily prescient scene of a boat at anchor that very much resembles both of my last 2 boats. lol I'll have to get pics of them and post them, although they are far from being professional quality.

My sister has a pottery studio in her back yard, set under Live Oaks at the edge of abandoned rice fields. It's only about 10 mins from the boat, nice and handy, with a big yard in a neighborhood where the CrewDogs can run freely. I've got a brand new 25# bag of earthenware clay sitting there right now, begging for me to come over there and get busy. :) Soon...

[Zen]

Thanks guys.

CK, the end results on that style can be very nice. That is judging from the instructors samples. However no one in my class liked doing it. I hated it, and will never do it again. It so SO MESSY to work with yuk  :(
I was so glad to be finished. It is a total different feeling from molding a clay piece. Very like papermache, which I also hated doing in art class  :(

I envy folks that make the wheel work for them. I can do stuff but only about 3-4 inchs tall, then is starts to take on it's own life  :D

I do 90% of my work hand building. It is more relaxing and I get into it much more. I enjoy the touch / feeling of working with clay. Something from dirt, perhaps a god complex.

like this wave container:

[Zen]

Photography/computer:

The Helm:


Urbanna:


Full sail:

[Joe Pyrat]

Here are a couple of items from my somewhat limited art collection.

[Zen]

Sunrise in benica