"Spit up, Tossed about, Knocked around, and Left to Rot", 8x8, oil on gallery-wrapped gessoboard , old boats, Point Reyes National seashore, wooden boats, Pacific Ocean

"Spit up, Tossed about, Knocked around, and Left to Rot", 8x8, oil on gallery-wrapped gessoboard (No frame necessary)

I have been wanting to paint this old boat ever since I saw it almost a year ago at Point Reyes National Seashore.

The old boat has seemingly been there for ages. Grounded  by low tide and unable to escape its inevitable destiny, the boat will most likely stay there and rot until some very wealthy conservationists decide to tow it off to a maritime museum for display

My visit to California last spring was full of light and inspiration. We started in Napa, spent time in the Carmel area and finally ended up in San Diego. It was a great trip and I have great memories of it.

Here's a picture of me painting at the Point Reyes National Seashore:

Anyhow, the old boat at Point Reyes was painted today because this year my family has been thrown a couple of lemons. In the end, I know that all the lemons will be used to produce amazing recipes- the zest, the juice, even the rind.

I just wish the problems had not all happened at once.

That being said, I am looking forward to the day when everything that the canker worms and the locusts have tried to destroy, will be returned one hundredfold.

Thanks for reading my blog. I hope that you enjoyed this post.

"Reflections of a Rat Boat", 6x6, oil on board, paintings of rat boats, dory, old boats, wooden boats, rockport, Massachusetts, Bearskin Neck, colorist art, impressionism

"Reflections of a Rat Boat", 6x6, oil on board

The first time that I saw this little dory up in Bearskin Neck, Rockport, I took a dozen pictures of it. The old worn wood, the humble planks, even the name, "Rat" made me love this little boat as though it was an old friend or familiar piece of clothing.

So to paint it again today, for the second time, was a pleasure and not a chore. I looked at the photo that I had taken a few years back and asked myself why I wanted to paint this humble little boat again. What was the purpose or statement in my painting going to be? The answer came quickly. It was the reflections, of course, that grounded the boat to its home- the Atlantic Ocean in Rockport Harbor!

Without the water reflections, the boat would just kind of float in the air, without substance or a sense of grounding or place in space.

This is one of the things that I learned from Kenn Erroll Backhaus's workshop last week. Decide on a purpose , or statement, before you start a painting. I had never thought much about a statement before. Oftentimes I would just paint a subject, rather than a statement. This concept of "finding a statement before you begin"  made a world of difference in my approach to this little painting.

Why is it called a "rat" boat? I have no idea but maybe it's obvious. The boat is.... well.... a bit ratty!

Here is my first painting of the little Rat Boat.


THis painting was juried into Randy Higbee's annual 6x6 inch square show in Costa Mesa, California.

"That Kind of Day", 8x10, oil on panel, paintings of baots, dingies, Nova Scotia, clouds, water

"That Kind of Day", 8x10, oil on panel

Sometimes it's just that kind of day. You know what I mean?

Painted with a limited palette of four colors plus white.

Please email me at maryannejacobsen@aol.com if you wish to purchase "That Kind of Day"
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The Rat Boat, paintings of old boats, small boats, wooden boats, rat boats, Rockport, Rockport harbor

SOLD

"The Rat Boat", 5x7 oil on panel

I have no idea why this old wooden boat has a little sign on the back that says "Rat", but I'm guessing there's a good reason! Perhaps rats live in the boat and dance to the light of the moon when no ones looking? Or perhaps some villainous human rat stole this charming old boat from its original owners and in a fit of guilt the thief decided to name the boat after the ilks of himself? Or maybe like a  treacherous rat, this tiny little boat in the Rockport harbor sneaks up on unsuspecting fishing boats in the pre-dawn hours and  a boatload of cats sneak up on the unsuspecting fisherman and steal the fish to the horror of the fisherman who had no idea there was a rat on their tail!

Or maybe a family of hungry gulls man the boat and stalk the fishing boats while the fisherman are catching cat naps? (Not rat naps!)

Here's a photo of the rat boat in the Rockport harbor in the pre-dawn hours.

I know it looks small and inconspicuous but that could be a front for the rats.... or the cats...

We are going back to Rockport next week. I am going to see if I can get to the bottom of this mystery.

But in the meantime, if you want to own your own little rat boat, just send me an email at maryannejacobsen@aol.com.

"Low Tide", 9x12, oil on canvas, paintings of boats, low tide, Bay of Fundy, old wooden boats, Maine boats

SOLD

"Low Tide", 9x12, oil on canvas

The first time I ever visited the Maine area was a few years back. We stayed at a lovely Bed and Breakfast in Boothbay Harbor that boosted a room with a "water view". The day we arrived it was pouring rain and so sitting out on our porch and enjoying our "water view" was out of the question. The next day we woke up delighted to see that the rain had finally stopped! We rushed out on to our balcony to see our water view.

Low and behold all we saw were a bunch of boats laying on their sides , their keels dripping mud  onto the bare earth below. I was shocked. "What is that?", I asked my husband.

" I think that's our water view", he replied almost sadly. Weirdly by the evening, the harbor had refilled with water and the boats were once again floating gracefully on the water.

The more we saw of Maine's many harbors and inlets, the more we saw this same phenomenon over and over again. I understand that if you go a little further east into the Bay of Fundy, the tidal changes become even more dramatic! Each day 100 billion tonnes of seawater flow in and out of the Bay of Fundy during one tide cycle, which is more than the combined flow of the whole world’s freshwater rivers!

Anyhow, sorry to digress, but we certainly live in an amazing world, don't you think?

If you are interested in purchasing, "Low Tide", please send me an email at maryannejacobsen@aol.com.