Having been born in New Bern I have a special connection to the North Carolina coast, its people, geography and history. I grew up around boats and fishing spending a great deal of time on the water both fresh and salt. I was taught by my father to appreciate the flair of the bow of a Harkers Island sport fishing boat. I fished offshore with my dad in the Cape Lookout - Shackleford Banks - Morehead City area and learned an appreciation early on for the hard work that the coastal fishermen must endure to sustain themselves and their families. I know what it is like to have fish hit four lines simultaneously while trolling and then join in the mad scramble to land them. And yes, I have experienced the queasy feeling you can easily get on Pamlico sound while in a 32 foot sport fishing boat. One wave you ride over, the next crashes into the cockpit windows with such a force that you are certain they will shatter.
Coastal Carolina has a lot to recommend it but I think I knew by the time I attended Appalachian State University that I would someday call the mountains of North Carolina my permanent home. As I am fond of saying to anyone who will listen, "you couldn't pry me out of these mountains with a crow bar".
Major Coastal Work I
Backwater, watercolor
A simple skiff tied to its moorings with the tide out. When the tide comes in you will be able to reach it with a boat hook from the small dock, untie the lines and row out to check on your nets and crab pots.
Backwater, Detail
Final Berth, watercolor
This old skiff is now "floating" in a sea of grass and weeds, some of which are growing up through the bottom of the boat. The lines of small boats have always attracted me as a painter.
Hauled In, watercolor and drybrush
This net hoisted on the boat's stern almost looks like a piece of sculpture to me. The intricate webbing and large cork floats appear very organic. That object in the left foreground leaning against the gunwale is a planer board, used to open the net when being pulled by the boat.