Description
Sometimes the inspiration for a painting comes so easy it’s a bit like picking a piece of ripe fruit off a tree. This workboat has seen more than its share of hard work over many decades. We know it has tendered in Alaska and worked a variety of fisheries along the west coast. It sank and was raised and I have seen it in horrible condition. I fortunately found her tied up at the Port of Chinook on the Washington side of the lower Columbia River after spending time in the boat yard getting fresh paint. When I found her she was set up as a “dragger” with the big doors on the stern that spread the net but because the stern is not included it this painting you would never know what she was currently fishing for.
As is my habit with my boat paintings I painted this from photographs, but in this case only one which is very unusual. That tells you how complete the composition was. The only substantial change I made was to open the cannery door behind the wheel house which focuses the viewer’s attention right there. I love the design components of repeated dark rectangles. It tends to unify the design of this painting.
The last time I saw her she was in for repairs again and looking very rough. Fishing the Northwest waters is a hard life for both boat and crew.