As mentioned in the previous post, I enjoy viewing traditional vessels, especially if they tie up at our town dock in Northport. During the last three Junes, the Northport Arts Coalition has sponsored a weekend plein air activity. Painters set up and paint most of Friday and Saturday morning. By Saturday afternoon, they may submit framed, finished work to a local gallery, LaMantia, for an auction held on Sunday. So far, the event has attracted many exceptional fine artists who have sold their work at the Sunday auction.
In 2009, I photographed some of the artists at work, trying to compose the painting in progress as well as the actual subject or scene of interest.
On Saturday morning, before I got out of my car, I saw a very appealing trawler—classic in design—cruising by nature. I was immediately drawn to her. When I saw her closer up, my spirit became a shimmer. She appeared so functionally beautiful.
The Trawler, Jolie
I walked the dock and intercepted the owner and skipper, Kevin Kearney, of Annapolis, MD. He told me she was built of steel in 1966 in Tarpon Springs, Florida. Her design is based on a workboat. She’s 45-feet long and has a 13-foot beam. He refers to her as a Sutton Steel Trawler, named after the shipyard in which she was built. Said he’s the second owner and has owned her for 10 years.
“What’s her draft? The water gets shallow here at low tide.”
“Six feet,” he said. “According to my charts, she’s probably okay here.”
“How did you come by the name, ‘Jolie’.”
“It means ‘pretty’ in French.”
“That’s a fitting name. Being a “pretty” workboat reinforces my view that she is functionally beautiful.”
I asked Kevin if he intended to stay through the weekend. It was likely some painters would use “Jolie” as their subject. He said he was aware of the event and was hoping to see what renderings emerged. If he liked one, he would attend the auction on Sunday.
As I left the side of “Jolie,” I soon realized at least two painters, Paul Bachem and Doug Reina, had begun to portray “Jolie” on canvas.
Paul Bachem, of Locust Valley, NY, paints a port-bow perspective from the dinghy dock:
Paul Bachem painting Jolie
Doug Reina, of Stony Brook, NY, paints a broadside view from Northport’s park:
Doug Reina painting Jolie