I may have mentioned in another post that Peter is very
dynamic and has tons of energy. He was the same cheerful, gregarious self on
Friday morning. He had one piece completed and was working a second mindful
that he had to have the finished works framed and submitted by noon! It was
9:30 and a good portion of the painting was done, but there was a sense of urgency
as well. What I admired about Peter was his ability to work while conversing. One funny thing we both noticed is that there were some folks working for the marina painting a boat behind Perter. So both boats "were being painted" but one was having its hull brightened, while the other was being portrayed on new canvas. It was very comical in a way. Peter seems to enjoy a good jawing session and I’m more than willing to participate.
Peter is quick to tell you about his painting preferences, and you can
immediately discern that he is very passionate about his art. He’s still a very
young guy in his late 20’s and someone to keep an eye out for as he continues
to hone his craft.
It was approaching 10:00 am and my options and time were
limited for finding more artists out painting. I decided to head to Carmen’s
Gallery. As luck would have it, I found two more artists working. Greg Johannesen was finishing the piece from Thursday. I
learned there was a second set of school children that came by the day before, which
took a little more time than expected. None the less, I could tell Greg was
glad to educate the class. In fact, he’s done many programs in local schools
talking and teaching about art. He usually draws something using the same
limited materials the kids have to show them what can be accomplished.
Look closely at the photo above. You will see four metal objects at the corners of Greg's paper, that I originally thought were tacks. This really baffled me, so I asked about them. He explained that they were
rare earth magnets and demonstrated how he can move them around. Basically, on each corner are a pair of magnets, one on top and one behind
the easel, holding the paper. By changing the location of the magnets Greg can work the entire piece of paper. Another great idea.
Diane Laird, too, was out. She was occupied with another
watercolor, this time of the Solomons Boat Rental shack on the Riverwalk.
Although I had watched Diane draw and color several times in different
locations around the island, I was surprised by a technique she employed. She
had a salt grinder – you know the kind you use in the kitchen. She twisted the
grinder sending some salt onto her paper! The technique pulls the watercolor
and creates a texture. The size of the grains and wetness of the paper
influence how the color pigments gather around the salt. Once the piece dries
the salt is brushed off.
Hoping to find some other artists, I drove over to
the Calvert Marina only to be a bit disappointed. There were no artists, but I
did find something interesting. An old RV was sitting among the boats. It looked more like an old
bus with a yellow band around the lower skin. Maybe the marina takes in Land
Yachts!
The best part of the day was to come a little later. The
artists were being treated to a cruise, and Deborah and I were graciously invited
to attend. We sailed aboard the Dee of
St. Mary’s from the Calvert Marine Museum. You could not have asked for a
better evening; it was a perfect temperature and a nice wind was blowing. The
First Mate told us about the design of the boat and a little about the Blue
Crab fishery of the Chesapeake. He even had a crab that had just shed it shell.
It was amazing to see both the old shell and the crab that had emerged
therefrom. The crab was alive but seemingly comatose, it was perfectly still
and defenseless. The First Mate claimed it was going to make a tasty dinner.
The ‘Crew’ of shanghaied artists raised the sail as a well-oiled
team. Okay, well maybe not well-oiled, but they came together nicely to get the
job done. A few of the artists took a turn at the helm, and there was a cannon to
repel the pirates that ply the waters. A few of us even got the chance to fire
blanks to forewarn the potential marauders.
The evening concluded with dinner at a local restaurant with
entertainment provided by Groovespan Duo. The bit of a delay in dinner did have
one advantage; it allowed more time for conversation and allowed for little
dancing by two adventurous participants. They danced really well and it brought
a well-deserved round of applause from all. It was a great ending to a great day.
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