| Every year since 1984
The South Sound Maritime Heritage Association of Olympia has hosted an
annual meeting of vintage and/or working tugboats and subsequent races
of same. And every year without fail, I have been on hand to view
and research the many types and sizes of these hard working vessels.
I have been privledged to be able to tour some of them, meet the owners
and crew and to witness first hand what makes these boats so special.
The history of tugboats in South Sound is rich and varied. From escorting
large container carrying ships to pushing barges loaded with logs,
the intrepid tugboat is called upon; rain or shine. One is
always amazed by the power displayed by such able craft. They range from
nearly miniature to quite large modernized workers with comfortable quarters
for many hands. They are used by the Navy and the Army.
Large fleets of tugs are maintained by the Foss Maritime Company in the
Northwest, from Seattle, Washington to Portland, Oregon. Some tugs
ply the rivers, some are ocean going for long periods of time. They
work the waters of Puget Sound and the lakes of the Emerald City.
"One is always amazed by the
power displayed by such able craft."
My favorite vantage point for the tugboat races is the dock area at
the Port of Olympia. From here I can see the boats as they make their
way to the starting line. The view is close enough to read the names
and see the detail on the deck, yet far away enough to get a wonderful
composition to include sky, water, distant shoreline, and the dome of the
Washington State Capitol building in the background. With sketch
book and pencil and digital camera with plenty of floppies, I eagerly anticipate
the rumble of engines as they leave the staging area. From then onward
it is one tug after another without much time in between. The weather
is usually clear and warm on Labor day weekend, so spending 4 to 6 hours
doing research is a pleasant undertaking.
Then it is home to the studio to catalog all
the research photos, match the historical and biographical information
to the pictures, and choose which tugboats to begin |
|
|
painting. My media of choice recently
has been soft pastel. For me, pastel is unequaled for clarity and vitality
of color to capture the excitement and movement of the races. Each
boat has its own distinctive exterior color scheme (In the case of the
Foss tugboats, all bear the same color hulls.).
Because pastel is a "drawing" media, the detail
can be created with little effort. Reflective water can be translated
effectively too. The flowing rhythms of waves created by passing
boats is readily accomplished with the tips of sharpened pastel sticks.
Or, by using the flat sides of the pastels, I can "wash" in the broad expanse
of sky or billowing clouds. (I tend to paint realistically with hints
of impressionism breaking in). Pastels allow me to render the tugboat
races as I see them against the luminous skies and glowing clouds of the
Puget Sound on an autumn day.
"I tend to paint realistically
with hints of impressionism breaking in."
Each year there are not only the same wonderful
local and regional tugboats at the races, but new ones seem to appear seemingly
from out of the blue. As for my part, I am delighted to experience
the "old familiar" boats, and look forward to new and different subjects
for my palette and brush. When I do a tug it is one with strong contrast
and lots of drama in water and sky to set off the beauty of the boat.
I am intrigued by the way the soft rounded hull of the boat is sharply
balanced with the straight angles of the mast and lines. It is a
challenge to create the illusion of depth and movement on a two dimensional
surface, such as Canson Mi Tientes paper or hand made sanded board.
The pastel paintings are a natural to reproduce
as limited edition giclee prints. The colors are bright and clear
and the detail is crisp. The original is generally 12" X 16", so
I can scan it directly. From there, the print is produced in my studio,
signed and #'d and packaged and distributed. I am looking forward
to the tugboat races in Puget Sound this Labor Day weekend. Why don't
you come down and see them too?
|
