Outer Banks Vintage Art

Ridge Tree

2012-01-23T21:23:00.001-05:00

This tree was much photographed in the 1970's on Jockey's Ridge and the subject of many an M. Charles painting. Frame is a nice refurbished golden oak rescue frame. If you read my facebook page you will know what I mean. 8 x 10, oil on artist's panel, $125

Flower Stand

2012-01-20T11:21:00.001-05:00

Sometimes it is renewing for body and mind to wander among a profusion of flowers. I love the little flower and produce stand on the edge of Manteo. In all the changing seasons there is always something beautiful to look at. 5 x 7, watercolor on arches, matted, $40.

Climbing Clouds

2012-01-13T13:05:00.001-05:00

This soft pastel is from a photo by Eve Turek who very nicely lets me use her outstanding photographs for reference. I called it "Climbing Clouds" because once in awhile the clouds look positively climbable, they are set out just like a mountain range over the ocean that you could step onto and get all the way to heaven. This is a soft pastel on Wallis Sanded paper, 8 x 10, matted and framed $175.

Corolla Lite

2012-01-08T12:52:00.000-05:00

I was getting slightly intimidated by this small size painting 5 x 7 inches but I decided to forge ahead anyway and I am happy with the outcome. Looking at Corolla lighthouse from the southside. oil on canvas panel, 5 x7, frame is golden oak, $65.

Rainbow Marsh

2012-01-06T13:46:00.000-05:00

Everyday I travel by this marsh on the edge of Wanchese, NC and admire the ever changing color of it. One rainy day I was going by and the sun had just come out. When I turned down the road that goes to Wanchese, a beautiful rainbow appeared over the marsh. I tried to paint it as best I could, with the grass this wonderful russet color since it was all wet from the rain. Oil on a linen panel, 10 x 8, stacked golden oak frame $150.

Horse Dance

2012-01-05T10:06:00.000-05:00

I've been studying color and its application so that is why this picture is so colorful. These wild Corolla horses appear to be dancing, actually they are fighting, but dancing and fighting sometimes look like the same thing, LOL. Maybe there is a lesson there? Reference photo by Karen Watras who gave me permission to use it for a painting.
This is my first time using the Ampersand Pastelbord and I will frame this with Econospacers and no mat, just glass and a rustic brown frame. 10 x 8, soft pastel, $150.

Bodie Marsh Boat

2012-01-04T12:35:00.000-05:00

I found this little wooden boat tied up near the Off Island Hunt Club one fall day. It belongs to a friend who is a fisherman and hunting guide. I have painted it before. I am working on 5 small paintings for the Dare County Arts Council Holiday Small Works Show. This is a little softer than usual, which means very soft but it turned out fine. Soft pastel on white Wallis sanded paper, 5 x 7, matted and rustic brown frame to 8 x10. $150.

Red Oak Snow

2011-12-29T11:02:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite places is a little woods near my house. And once in awhile on the Outer Banks it actually snows. Last year it snowed quite alot for here and I got lots of snow photos. This painting is from one of those pics in my favorite woods. There is a little red oak tree there that was all decked out with red leaves and blue snow. I liked all the contrast. 5 x 7 matted and 1" walnut frame, 8 x 10, soft pastel on Wallis paper, $125.

Last Light Dune

2011-12-18T07:33:00.000-05:00

The other day I finally made it out the door with french easel to try some "en Plein Aire" painting. I asked permission at the ranger station at Jockey's Ridge and they said it was "light the kite" night and the dunes would be filled with people. I had scouted out this dune earlier in the week and it was right at the end of the boardwalk where everyone would be walking, Rats! So I had to set up on a different set of dunes and only got a photo of this as the last light of the day illuminated its flank and tree tops. So I took the photo into the studio and created what I wanted all along. 8 x 10 oil on canvas board, oak gallery frame $125.

Shad Lite

2011-12-11T14:34:00.003-05:00

This shad boat sits in front of an antique store in Manteo. It has a lot of other junk around it which I cleared away and gave it some new fallen snow. I thought it would make a great Christmas greeting for all my friends and customers. Thank you all for your business and support in the last year. If you would like this painting, it is a 7 x 5 watercolor on arches, matted $40.

Sunset Winter

2011-12-10T07:00:00.001-05:00

This is the second Ampersand Aquabord I used with some watercolors. It is a very interesting surface to use and does not require a mat or glass. It is sprayed with fixative when it is dry for a matte finish. A typical winter sunset on the sound in Kitty Hawk, NC. This is a 4x4 and includes a beautiful burgundy frame from Yellowhouse Frame Shop. $65 includes sales tax and shipping.

Turner Light Sunset

2011-12-09T12:25:00.001-05:00

I bought four Ampersand Aquabords awhile ago and I am just now getting around to using the last two. I ended up with kind of a JMW Turner look. He loved to work with this kind of light in his paintings. The panel is sprayed with a fixative for a matte finish. This is a 4x4 and is in a beautiful dark brown frame from Yellowhouse Frame Shop. $65 includes sales tax and shipping.

Marsh Islands

2011-12-07T07:00:00.002-05:00

In the marsh there are these little high ground places that are not constantly bathed by the rising tide like the grass and trees can gain a foothold. These islands were laid out in a row like this with these wonderful mauve shadows. I did this with a red ground and worked and worked and finally gave up. I visited my friend, James Melvin, who said, oh, if it is oil keep working on it. You'll get it. And I finally got to where I wanted to be. 12 x 9, oil on a panel, framed, 1 year money back guarantee $175

The Old Docks

2011-12-07T07:00:00.000-05:00

I have this idea that mediums should be used to their best advantage. Watercolors have their own quirky nature and portray water best, since they are actually, well, water. Beyond that, they do lost edges and hard edges, vague dreamy washes and shining sparkling light in really wonderful ways. I am always disappointed if I don't use a medium to its best advantage. I was pleased with how this one turned out because it shows off some of the spectacular advantages of watercolors with only a few minor problems arising. That is because I forced myself to slow down and do it right, which took all week while I waited for each wash to dry, lest I get in there and create mud because it wasn't quite dry, which is what I usually do (not happy face). From an old black and white photograph from the 1950's, somewhere near Wanchese, NC. This boat reminded me of a boat Everett Tate had, it was long and low like this and he used it to haul net. He had another boat and he would tow this skiff behind him -- it was mostly just a boat to carry the net. This is watercolor on arches paper, approx. 15 x 9, matted and in golden tiger oak frame to 20 x 14. $180 includes shipping and sales tax.

Wild Dunes

2011-12-06T07:00:00.001-05:00

This painting is from a photo by Eve Turek. We think it might be Penny's Hill which is above Corolla. Of course, with inflation, nowadays it might be more like 50 cent hill or Susan B. Anthony Hill. Or with the coming bridge there it is most probably going to be paved and developed hill. But for now, "The 4x4," as people call it, is wild and free. I was striving for "painterly" and following Susan Sarback's advice from her book to look for the hidden colors. This is soft pastel on Wallis sanded paper, 10 x 8, matted and framed to 14 x 11, SOLD.

We Bow Down

2011-12-04T16:56:00.000-05:00

We used to sing a little praise chorus that went like this, "We bow down..." and I thought it was appropriate for a title since I have added some streaming light to the horses on the beach (from a photo by Karen Watras). You might think they are worshipping the Creator, depending on your outlook. Or, in the spirit of my father who was always irreverent at times like these, the colt might be saying to it's mom, "Wait! I have to stop to bite an itch!" 10 x 8, watercolor on arches, matted and rustic medium brown frame to 11 x 14, $175.

Nags Head Woods

2011-12-04T10:46:00.001-05:00

This is the first time I have ever tried to paint a woods scene. Usually, I get the photos home and wonder what I was photographing since all the trees look alike. But this was a particularly beautiful day in Nags Head Woods one winter hike and the light was streaming onto the road and fallen leaves. So it was easier to paint than just a forest scene. I tried to give a feeling of light and atmosphere here and did so by using a lot of maskoid to begin with. Then I tried to work in transparent layers, always preserving the light areas. This is matted and framed, 8 x 10 matted to 11 x 14, watercolor on Arches, $175.

@Daybreak

2011-12-04T09:53:00.000-05:00

Some of the most beautiful things are often the simplest. A clearing storm and the brilliant sunshine of early morning combine to reveal curtained light streaming down over the ocean, lighting up the whole scene with brilliant color.
This is soft pastel on Wallis sanded paper, 7 x 5, matted and stack golden oak frame to 10 x 8, $150.

Pier Lights

2011-11-02T21:09:00.000-04:00

People tell me the fishing is best at the crack of dawn and it is also best on the pier. My friend, Karen Watras, took this photo of the sun coming up on the horizon, over the ocean. I believe (not positive though) this is Avalon Pier. I thought it was a great picture and got permission to paint it. The wash of the surf was reflecting all the lights of the pier as well as the red sky of dawn. This is a small watercolor on 300# arches paper, 7 x 5, and it is matted, not framed, only $40. Email for information.

Sunset Bay

2011-10-29T13:42:00.000-04:00

Here is a small watercolor of a typical winter sunset on Bay Drive. I tried to capture the pure color as much as possible in this painting. In the foreground is some switch cane or possibly Phragmites. I have trouble telling them apart, except that the switch cane is useful and the phragmites are not. There is an island offshore with a few trees to the left and some marsh grass to the right. Watercolor on arches, 5 x 7, matted, not framed, $40.

Hatteras Proud!

2011-10-06T20:07:00.001-04:00

Most people are by now aware of the problems the Outer Banks has suffered in the aftemath of Hurricane Irene. Hardest hit has been Hatteras Island, having been cut off from the North Banks by several new inlets. I took a picture of a boat in a Buxton boat yard this summer that had this red flag flying. I don't know what the real significance of the flag was, but for me the boat seemed to be saying, "I may be in for repairs, the seas have been rough, the work has been hard, but I am still proud, Hattras proud!" Soft pastel on Wallis paper, 5 x 7 matted and rustic brown frame to 8 x 10. $125

Seascape on Aquabord

2011-10-01T16:25:00.002-04:00

Here is a new surface I am trying out, it's called "Aquabord" by Ampersand. I really like this for watercolors. I am pretty old fashioned and I like Arches because it reacts the way paper should react to water, but I stopped by to chat with Katy Caroline and she recommended this surface. It is about 1/8" thick and looks like masonite from the rear. It is very forgiving for watercolor which is a nice characteristic. I am also experimenting with pearlescent paint. It shimmers when you look at it. I did one of these earlier and it sold before I got a picture of it. This is 4 x 4 watercolor on Aquabord, mini-easel included, $25. This is available at the Mellow Dog in Manteo, NC.

The "It's Organic!" Truck

2011-09-25T09:16:00.003-04:00

Organic is a word we toss around a lot nowadays. Artists tend not to paint ugliness since it doesn't sell that well and we like to eat. But old vehicles have a certain appeal to certain artists and a few people buy them. What I like about rusting vehicles is how they merge with nature after awhile, becoming something organic, or, by way of definition, "living matter." I found this old truck tucked away in Manteo on hwy. 64, hiding in plain sight, and I didn't have to tresspass to get the photo either. It really makes my day and week when I find an old vehicle surrounded by vegetation. As an historical note, I recently found out this truck was used as a "boom truck" to lift engines in and out of boats that were in the water at the Marina that used to be near where Pirate's Cove is now. I always appreciate knowing little details like that about my paintings. Thanks to everyone at Outer Banks Vintage Scrapbook on Facebook for the info. This is soft pastel on Wallis sanded paper, 5x7, matted and rustic brown frame to 8x10, $125. At Seagreen Gallery in Nags Head, NC.

Osprey with Fish (aerodynamics)

2011-09-20T20:30:00.001-04:00

I drive the Manteo-Nags Head bridge and causeway quite alot and often see the Osprey out fishing. I love to watch them after they catch a fish. They give their wings a good shake in mid-flight to get the water off and then turn the fish around so that it's nose is pointing forward (sort of fish aerodynamics for birds) the better to fly with. I was quite amused and then protective of a particular osprey one day who caught a fish that was a little too large for transport and had to stop and rest in the turn lane (also know by Outer Bankers as "the death lane" since so many accidents happen there). I didn't want him to get run over so I stopped my car in front of him while he caught his breath, enough to take off and soar at low elevation (just over the traffic, phew!) til he reached the roof of a gazebo to have lunch (and dinner and breakfast by the size of it). So here is my "fish for dinner too" painting. 7x5 soft pastel on Mi-Tientes, matted and real weathered barnwood frame $125. At Seagreen Gallery in Nags Head, NC.

Goose Yoga

2011-09-10T14:37:00.004-04:00

My dad always used to correct me when I would say "Canadian Geese." He would say, "Now these are not geese with passports from Canada (since we lived one lake over from that country), these are Canada Geese, meaning they originate from there." And boy, they do! Like majorly! They are pretty much everywhere now, so if you want to study wildlife, all you have to do is go to the nearest retention pond or golf course. They are even seen swimming around at the local drug store pond. I like to watch them take their little baths because one goose always watches out and the rest have at it, preening and stretching, even doing this great yoga warrior pose, or whichever pose that is. This is soft pastel on Mi-Tientes paper, 5 x 7, matted and framed to 8 x 10, $125. Before I framed this I made some changes to his neck, making it more curved. If you are interested in this piece I can email a current photo of it.

Winter Rest

2011-09-03T16:18:00.003-04:00

It was very foggy one day this spring and I spent some time wandering around the Banks taking photos. This poor little sailboat has had a rough life and I have photographed it in various states of repose. Part of winter it spent heeled over on its side out of the water. Here at least it is afloat but it is still at rest for the winter, hence the title. I am experimenting with surfaces. This is a prepared panel from Dick Blick. It is about 1/4" thick and I taped the sides so that when the painting was finished I could remove the tape and wouldn't need a frame. It also came with a hanger groove which I forgot about and painted upside down. Oh well. But I will attach a sawtooth when it is dry. This is an oil, 8 x 10, masonite panel, gallery 3/4" frame, $125.

Smith Island

2011-08-26T15:16:00.003-04:00

Here is a nice little watercolor that I just finished while waiting for Hurricane Irene. This is from a photo by a photographer friend who knows how much I love old docks and old wooden boats. It was somewhere near Wanchese in the 50's as you can see Bodie Island Light in the background. In the old days, fishing boats were many different colors, essentially whatever color was laying around. This one is a nice carribbean blue. Don't know what it really was because the photo was black and white. According to my calculations, after looking at an old map, this might have been Smith Island. Not sure, but it sounds good. 8 x 5 matted to 12 x 9, framed, $125. The original is signed in the right hand corner. At Seagreen Gallery in Nags Head, NC.

Wolf Watch

2011-08-20T15:00:00.010-04:00

Painting is often a very spiritual experience. I have several ideas for my "animal portraits" series. One of them is a red wolf. I was in that half-dream, half-awake state the other morning and I saw a red wolf standing guard by my bedside. Things seem so real when you are in this dream state. The next day I could still see in my mind's eye the outline of his ears and the look of his face as he sat on watch beside me. I didn't feel any ill intent -- just a guardian on duty. In Native American fashion I took it as a sign. While I was working, I had this strange sensation of painting a Native American warrior's face with all the warpaint. No, I don't know what all this means but... Thank you, Brother Wolf. Red wolves used to be common on the Outer Banks. In recent years the US Fish & Wildlife began re-introducing them into their former range at Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge. Red wolves are smaller than timber wolves and look a lot like coyotes. This is soft pastel on Wallis sanded paper. 8 x 10. matted and framed $149 Just before I framed this piece I put the wolf on a diet because red wolves are very lanky. On the left side, I subtracted some of the fur and added foliage. I can email a photo of it if you are interested.

Sleepy Beauty

2011-08-11T20:06:00.006-04:00

Here is a Corolla wild pony ready to take a nap. My friend, Karen Watras, lets me use some of her wonderful photos of the ponies. You can find her excellent work at Shellgirl Photography. She was spending some time on the dunes near a group of horses and this little mare wandered onto the scene and nestled down in the shade to take a nap. This is number 2 in my "animal portraits" series.
This is a soft pastel on Mi-Tientes, 8 x 10 and can be matted and framed to 11 x 14. $175 Prints available.

Pen and Ink with watercolor wash

2011-08-07T09:31:00.010-04:00

Here are 4 pen and inks with watercolor washes that I completed at art shows this summer. $25 includes mat, sales tax and shipping.

Dough's Creek now

Old Wanchese harbor

Kitty Hawk boats

Dry Dock

Old Nags Head

Ol' Pilgrim

Wayside Wabbit

2011-07-20T18:16:00.004-04:00

All along the causeway and on the way to Pea Island are these Wayside Wabbits feasting away on grass all summer long. I am naming this painting in honor of Bugs Bunny who Elmer Fudd called, "That Wascally Wabbit." This is one Eve Turek captured with her long lens who was lounging after a long, hot day of dodging vehicles and eating grass. He seems to have tangled with something because he has a notch in his ear. This is a pastel on Canson Mi-Tientes paper. It is a lot more difficult to work with than Wallis sanded because you can only get about 3 layers on it as opposed to the Wallis 21. But I think it works best for animal portraits or any portrait for that matter. 5 x 7 matted and framed to 8 x 10. $125. At Seagreen Gallery in Nags Head, NC.

The Best Place

2011-06-28T22:03:00.003-04:00

Here is another small pastel (5 x 7) for art shows. This is a soundside sunset scene, a winter sky. I named it, "The Best Place," because it is the best place I know of to watch the sun set. And many people come there just to do that.
This is pastel on Wallis Sanded paper, 5 x 7, matted and framed to 8 x 10, $125. Prints also available.

Windswept

2011-06-18T15:09:00.003-04:00

If you walk the path by the Pea Island visitor's center you will come to an observation platform and another path to the right that goes around the ponds. I love to walk along this path in the fall and winter and see the ducks, swans and geese. There is this solitary tree hanging over the edge of the marsh, very windswept. I have been photographing it for years. It is sort of representative of all the windswept live oaks around the OB. I took several of my photos and merged them into this one painting. Soft pastel on Wallis sanded paper, 5 x 7 matted and framed to 8 x 10. $125 At Seagreen Gallery in Nags Head, NC.

How Much Farther?

2011-04-27T15:17:00.011-04:00

On the way through Currituck County to Tidewater, a trip I've made at least a couple thousand times, is this old, southern, country-style gas station with two old-style pumps out front. It closed, long ago. In fact, if you look closely at some of the photos on the web, you can see the pumps are frozen in time at 1975 when gas was 60 cents a gallon. (Think of it!) I risked life and limb one day getting some photos of the building. I painted a cola sign for old tin sign collectors and added a rusty 40's style truck. Wow, rust is great! There were so many colors in this truck-- it was just incredible! I named it, "How much farther?" Since the driver of the truck has run inside to ask directions. Pastel on Wallis sanded paper, 8 x 10, matted and framed to 11 x 14, $175 Prints are available. My entry for the 2011 Mollie Fearing Show. This is a 1946 Chevy truck, or so they tell me. Framed Giclee of this available for $55. At Seagreen Gallery in Nags Head, NC.

Kinnakeet Deadrise

2011-03-27T16:49:00.013-04:00

Avon, which used to be called Kinnakeet, has a great little group of docks off the main road. This harbor was dredged by the Corps of Engineers and has been here for about 70 years. It has been bulkheaded and a new fish house built recently. I have some old photos of how it used to be but they are fading. I took photos of what is left of the old sheds and this boat that is very similar to a Chesapeake Deadrise. They call them that because they have a low stern to haul fish and crabs aboard. I really love this style of workboat as it has such graceful lines from every angle. Tied at the closest dock is a little skiff in the old wooden style. This is watercolor on Arches paper, 8 x 10, matted and framed to 11 x 14, $175.

Corolla Schoolhouse

2011-03-14T20:39:00.010-04:00

Corolla has changed quite a lot in the 30 years I have lived on the Outer Banks. I remember riding on the beach in an open pickup to see the whale that was beached in the 80's. We had to get around the guard gate that was just above Sanderling. And in the 90's I sat in the tall shaggy grass to sketch the weather-beaten Whalehead Club and a guard came along to ask what I was doing. I was courteous and he let me stay so I could get some reference sketches. For awhile I sold ads for a company and went there monthly and watched as all of the old houses and the Whalehead Club were restored. Most recently, I went there to look at the new trail at the Coastal Reserve and also took in the sites such as the lighthouse, the hunt club and found this little schoolhouse nestled among the trees with the sun sinking over the sound. It is now a museum about wild horses but I took it back to its beginning days of white-washed wood, waiting for the children to learn 'readin', writin' and 'rithmetic. I painted this in a "painterly" style that I have been studying. It is not quite as yellow as you see here as the CFL's had an influence. This is an 8 x 10, oil on canvas, framed, $125.

Island House

2011-02-25T16:27:00.022-05:00

One time wandering around Ocracoke on foot, which is really the best way to see the place, I came upon what I have come to know is true Outer Banks architecture. People lately have this penchant to attach watch towers or victorian curly-cues all over buildings imitating the old Life Saving Stations. But, truthfully, they were foreign to the Outer Banks at the time. Those designs came from New England. In Banker Brogue the house is "whopperjawed," not quite level, not quite square, but still graceful and a testament to hard years of windblown life. Here's a fun link I found to other Outer Banker words. This is 5 x 7 watercolor on arches, matted to 8 x 10 $40.

Oh Be Dreamin'

2011-02-07T19:45:00.008-05:00

People not on the Outer Banks always dream about living here year 'round. I never had that dream. In fact, it took me a long time to fully appreciate the islands so I can't relate -- but I understand the desire to be somewhere you aren't. People also think it would be so romantic to live on the oceanfront year 'round. I don't have that thought either when I can hear the ocean roaring from a mile away on winter nights. But dreams are dreams and I understand that. Here is a view that doesn't really exist in real life. Windswept dunes, an old house sitting by itself and no protective dune behind it so you can see the ocean. I just thought it would be fun to dream a little. You can see all these things here but not all in one place -- until now! The dunes are not quite as yellow as in the picture. Oops, too much saturation! 5 x 7 pastel on Wallis paper, matted and framed to 8 x 10, $125.

Glorious Island

2011-02-05T10:35:00.008-05:00

After painting "Decider Ducks" I decided I wanted to attempt a larger version of the same subject. So, here it is. The ducks have made the corporate decision to fly, this time all of them, and the sun is doing its thing with the veils of light streaming over the clouds. I saw this happening once on Pea Island and have been trying to paint it ever since. Not one of your easier painting tasks. And the ducks go in last so if you paint a lame duck (ha, ha) you are doomed. Sort of like congress that way. It ruins the whole painting. But the ducks all have plenty of life and didn't ruin the painting (Phew!). Not like congress. Ok, there I go, being political again.
8 x 10, matted and framed to 11 x 14, watercolor on arches, $195.

Beach Homes

2011-01-22T11:36:00.011-05:00

In the old days they called them "cottages" and they were little houses with no amenities. No pool, no movie theatre room, no game room, no breakfast on the third floor with view of ocean, no elevator, no 5 bathrooms and 12 bedrooms, no nothing. And people were happy at the beach, playing all day in the sand, getting too much sun and nearly drowning in the surf when the innertube went flat. What fun! It was a carefree life in the olden days vacationing on the beach. So many people I talk to these days wish we could find that again. These bird houses are all along the historic section in Nags Head. There was a big building behind these but I removed it to show the beach (I can do that, I'm an artist). Soft Pastel on Wallis sanded paper, 5 x 7 matted and framed to 8 x 10, at the affordable price of only $125.

Pamlico Harbor

2011-01-18T15:53:00.015-05:00

I've been taking a survey of photos of old docks and old boats that used to be on the Outer Banks. It seems like these nice neat decks, bulkheads, and dockage we have now were an unknown item in the old days. Docks were maybe neat when first built but as time went on and the sound rose and fell with great force, repair jobs were needed and pilings were commissioned from flotsom and jetsam in the marsh -- if one large timber could not be found, then two or three could be secured to serve the same purpose. And if the docks were missing a few planks, Whatever! No liability issues then, just watch your step. Here is a composite of some old photos and a few circling hungry birds, too. I am showing you the rough sketch with the area of impact as Tom Lynch calls it, plainly mapped out. The sunset came from a very nice shot I made of Kitty Hawk Bay, sans boats. The boats are from an old 1940's postcard in the public domain. The front boat is an early picture of the famous Jackie Fay before the cabin was added to make it into a sport fishing boat. Though not apparent in this photo, the Jackie Fay was a wooden boat with a rounded stern to facilitate the hand hauling of a net. Watercolor, 8 x 10, matted and framed to 11 x 14. $195.

Elegantly Shabby

2011-01-09T10:17:00.011-05:00

You know how you go past something and you think it will always be there and then one day it isn't? That was the case (for me) with this old house that sat just south of Jockey's Ridge. It was one of the houses that really said "old Nags Head" and it sat in the lot next to what is now the Nags Head Post Office. An old boat was put in the front of two old cottages. The cottage in the back had a sign on it that said, "Elegantly Shabby." I know that because I had a friend who spent a few nights there. It was also a much photographed scene back in the 1980's. After awhile they had an antique store in the house and the boat was used as signage for the store. I have started to do value sketches before every painting so I included that to show you how I determine values. I made the puddle darker in the final painting since I wanted to draw the eye and it completes a visual circle. I have also found a good use for my credit card. I cut it up into tiny pieces and use it to make square windows and planks. This is a much better use for it than spending too much money at too high interest (LOL). I love these old charter boats made out of wood. They are so distinctive. You don't see lines like that anymore. When I started this research I didn't know what I was looking at but now I've gotten so I can recognize one at a distance. The house in the reference photo I had seems to have an S.J. Twine type railing with built-in seating. Don't know if it really did or not, but I took it as a suggestion. This is Watercolor on Arches, 8 x 10, matted to 11 x 14 and framed. $195.

Corolla Horses

2010-09-09T20:05:00.008-04:00

Back in the 80's before box stores discovered Corolla you could go there and see the horses lounging around the houses. But things got a little out of hand after that and every year a few died from automobile crashes and everyone mourned the loss. So there was a roundup and a fence built and the horses moved to Carova. Now it is a big business to go see the horses by 4 x 4. People often don't believe they go to the beach but they actually do, if the flies are bad and the day is hot they like to cool off just like you and I.This is matted and framed, finished size is 16 x 18 watercolor. $175.

Avalon Flat Top

2010-04-26T20:46:00.030-04:00

I was at the town hall in Nags Head today and got to view some of their excellent artwork collection. There was a great painting of a Southern Shores flattop house. These houses are historic in that they are an Outer Banks phenomena. They were designed like Florida houses and made, beginning in the 1950's, with local sand formed into concrete block. The ones in Southern Shores get painted quite a lot by local artists. The developers (Frank Stick, etc.) found that people were more likely to buy if there was already a house on the lot and that was how the lots ended up with flattops -- cheap, easy construction for a week at the beach in the 50's. Hardly anyone knows about the little ones in KDH that were built in the late 50's and 60's. Some Avalon subdivision streets are named for places in Tidewater because the developers (Sug York and Robert Young) were trying to target shipyard workers as potential buyers. When the housing boom was going on, the little flat tops were going down left and right because they are difficult to maintain. At one time there were hundreds of these little houses in Kill Devil Hills, NC. A number of them were modified with a peaked roof because the flat ones are prone to leakage. Now, there are only about 12 left that still have their flat roof design. One house on New Bern St. has received a historical landmark designation. I thought I could at least preserve the memory of this bygone era in photos and paintings. Many thanks to all of you who provided information on this neighborhood and on these houses. It's been quite interesting! Watercolor on arches, 8 x 10, $60

My Favorite Place

2010-03-10T20:55:00.009-05:00

Here is a scene I often behold. There is a little estuary on Bay Drive near where there used to be a night club on the sandy road. Now it is just houses. I always see herons wading and one day I saw a muskrat swimming. You need to be walking the road to fully appreciate it as driving by you won't even notice it. I love to watch the sunset over the cane that grows along the road. In the winter it always ices over first and thaws out last. This is watercolor on arches, 7 1/2 x 9 1/2, matted and framed. I shot this through the glass so there is quite a lot of glass reflection but I did want to get this on the blog, so here it is. $175.

Windswept Friends

2010-01-23T10:02:00.008-05:00

There is this little woods in Kill Devil Hills that is probably going to become a subdivision eventually, when the economy picks up. At first glance, there is not much to recommend it as a nature experience. At one point it was an ATV race track, and this illegally, no one had permission. For awhile, little boys, you know the age, had fun making forts and playing war. I saw their constructions and footprints. And a huge gray fox lived in the woods too. We met on a Sunday morning, a very mystical experience. And there are these huge live oaks near the canal. On Roanoke Island the live oaks can grow stately and tall but here on the barrier islands they hunker down and spread their arms out toward the Southwest, since almost every strong wind comes from the Northeast. Next time you look at an OBX tree, notice it is reaching toward the southwest. The car? I think it was a 60's Impala. No, I'm not that fond of junk cars but I am a friend of the trees and they like the car (any friend of theirs is a friend of mine). After 30-40 years in the woods, it is returning to nature (and its essential elements), which makes it an appealing subject. Artists love ruins, see my other posts. I wanted to save these huge trees and lobbied the government. I got a nice letter back from the town planner and that was it. This was my Frank Stick Memorial Art Show entry. $199. 12 1/2 x 16, soft pastel on Wallis sanded paper.

Sleepy Seagull

2010-01-01T16:59:00.012-05:00

When I first came to the Outer Banks in 1983 it was strictly a 3 month resort. Come September the Banks closed up tight. By October you could walk down the roads between the highways and see not even one person. It was lean times through the winter if you were a waitress or some other service oriented job. People I knew would forage for firewood on the beach, pick up tin cans and turn them in for money or, if times were really hard, actually sleep under the pier at night. Even the animal-life endured the long cold winters. Seagulls, perhaps not given enough credit for the enterprising creatures they really are, devised a way to make it through the winter by utilizing a new-found resource. Parking lots! They found they could drop oysters onto the pavement from a height and the shells would break open! I observed them doing this many a winter day and Suzanne Tate wrote about it in my favorite book, "Salty Seagull, a Tale of a Brainy Bird." This is a small watercolor, 4" x 5 1/2" on arches paper, matted to 8" x 10," but not framed. $40.

Enduring Legacy

2009-12-26T18:38:00.011-05:00

These cottages have been painted about every way possible there is to paint something and that's okay. But I must confess, I have fallen in love with old Nags Head and I wanted to paint them for what they are to me. Icons of a bygone time that have stood the test of many storms and endured all of them with grace. Here in a line from left to right is Buchanan, Skinner, and Woods. The Nags Head Pier is in the background. I had to do some editing on the sand fence, it was just too new. One evening when I was out walking and taking these reference photos I happened upon the couple who own the center one and we had a nice chat about the old days and the old cottages and what living in one was like. He said many is the time he's gotten up to take a look at the ocean in the middle of the night. I lived along the sound about 3 feet above water level so I could relate very well to his concern. This is pastel on Wallis sanded paper, inside dimension is 12" x 16", outside dimension 16" x 20" matted and framed, $250. Available at Yellowhouse Gallery in Nags Head, NC.

The Sentinels

2009-12-12T09:18:00.019-05:00

This is a painting I have been wanting to do for quite some time. On my way to work I pass a large salt marsh on the outskirts of Wanchese and Manteo. I don't know of a bigger expanse of grass on the Outer Banks. It is always fascinating to see what color the grasses are each day. When it has rained for a long time they are almost black. Sometimes in the spring they are bright green and in autumn they turn a pale golden color. After Pirate's Cove, as you are heading west, on the left there are three tall pine trees. I always think of these trees as the sentinels guarding and watching over the marsh. I added a flock of geese. They are darker than they look in this photo because of the studio window reflection. But they are not in silhouette, just sort of a gray fleeting presence. That was how I wanted them to appear and they do. Interesting note: I was going to paint in the reflections of the grass and was about to take a reference photo to get them right and just then a breeze came up and riffled the water near the grasses but left the cloud reflection alone. So I left it the way I had it before and put a little riffle in the keyhole too. I thought maybe God was trying to save me a little work by sending a breeze right then. This is my first oil painting (ever). I really got into it and forgot it is paint that doesn't dry fast like acrylic and had it all over me and all over the studio all week. I've been finding more of it in the carpet and my clothing every day since I painted it. Just when I think I've got it all... I find some more. This is oil on canvas, 16" x 20" $199 framed. Email for information.

Retired

2009-12-06T14:37:00.014-05:00

People collect old tractors. Even people I know. My Ohio background kicked in this winter and I began to get interested in them as an artist, in the shapes and state of the rust, and constructed this image from several photographs my mother took of Ohio farms. I call it "retired" because it was a valiant warrior now out to pasture... okay, even literally. On the way to the Outer Banks, if you are coming from the north down 158, in Currituck County you will pass a large farm market and they have what seems like 50 old tractors all around the property propping up signs, advertising lots of goodies. It is a great place to shop. I highly recommend it. This is matted to 11" x 14", inside dimension is 7 1/2" x 9 3/4" watercolor on Arches. $60

The Boat Yards

2009-11-28T09:47:00.015-05:00

Down in Wanchese, the place of very many boats, I noticed a little sign that said "Seafood Industrial Park." I remembered what a big deal this was when they built it, so I took the little road and came to a boat building factory and a no trespassing sign. Beyond the sign (sigh) were all these great rustic, dead boats just haphazardly strewn around the boat yard in various states of disrepair. How photogenic! My dad always said those no trespassing signs weren't referring to him, they were somebody else, and he would walk right on through. He always looked like he belonged whereever he happened to be and he was very charming too so people never yelled at him. I didn't have this sense that I looked like I belonged in the place of dead boats. So I reluctantly did my law-abiding thing and went on. HOWEVER, all around Nags Head and Manteo are "For Sale" boats! So I rounded up photos of all of them -- and good thing, too, because the working boat in the middle was sold the next day -- and here is a composite of everyone's yard in town that has a boat for sale. That is why I called it "the Boat Yards" plural. There was more than one yard. This is watercolor on arches, 8 x 10, matted and framed $175.00.

Solitary Dune

2009-11-02T18:54:00.015-05:00

Here is another dune from the same Pea Island trip as below. This one was hanging out by itself and had such an interesting shape I had to paint it. I wonder why it was jutting out by the ocean and not lined up with all the others? Must have been a powerful storm to move out that much sand. Pea Island is one of the weak leaks on the road to Hatteras -- witness the sand piled high by the side of the road just after you get off the bridge. This is usually where water is all over the road too. I am reminded here what a fragile place it is that we live. Something I sometimes forget, surrounded by Wings stores, Food Lions, etc., and lush greenery all around. The ocean is just a mile away and sometimes a little closer depending on the intensity of the current storm. I was thinking today about how in the 80's there was sand everywhere and a real estate investment might just migrate right out from under you! The county government encouraged us to plant grass and boy! we did! This painting is a pastel on Wallis sanded paper, 8 x 10" $175 framed and matted. I have a much better photo of this now -- if you are interested in this painting, I can email it to you.

Tate's Boat House c. 1950

2009-10-17T11:12:00.015-04:00

Here is an image from the book, "Bring me Duck" and is of the Tate boat house in Duck. The town would be almost unrecognizable to the old-time Duckers who made their living from the water and farming. But don't get me wrong, development is not always a bad thing. When I first moved to the Outer Banks unless you wanted to wear tee shirts and shorts year round there were not any clothing stores. Everything that related to real world applications (not vacation resort) had to be mail-ordered or obtained in the Tidewater or Elizabeth City area. Life is certainly a lot easier now in that sense. And the Outer Banks are a series of barrier dunes -- as such they will always retain a certain element of untamed wildness. I am always nourished by the open expanses of water and the freshening wind that is available in every season, almost anywhere you are standing on the islands. This painting is a pen & ink with watercolor washes. 11 x 14" matted and framed, $149.00. Email for information.

Road to Soundside Village

2009-10-01T12:57:00.000-04:00

Starting in the 1840's there was a tourist resort just south of Jockey's Ridge called "Soundside." It experienced quite a lot of growth until the Civil War. The hotel during the war was the headquarters for the Rebel forces and the Commander during the battle of Roanoke Island spent the entire time sick in his hotel room. When the Rebels fled they burned down the hotel. After the war the resort really became a destination. People arrived by steamboat at the end of a long pier. In the middle of the pier was a fish cleaning house. At the end of the pier were hotels and houses to rent. There were scores of houses built out in the water. (I guess septic was not a big concern back then?) People commonly went everywhere by boat or by ox or horse cart. You can see in the painting the ruts of the carts as they make their way to the village. Outer Bankers who lived in Nags Head Woods sold vegetables, fish and crabs all summer-long to the vacationers. At the zenith of the resort there was a mule drawn cart that ran along rails on the pier and another that took people over to the beach. In the 1890's people began to build vacation homes along the beach and arrived for a whole summer with servants, horses, cows, pigs and chickens. I wanted to capture a little of this old time place in this painting. You can see the village in the distance and the pier. Of the twenty or so cottages that were out in the water only two remain. There were a couple buildings that survived the 1930's hurricane that wiped out the Soundside village and these were moved to the beach road. I posted this painting earlier and took it off. I am re-posting as there seems to be a lot of interest in this little known history of Nags Head. This is an acrylic 16 x 20 $250 for original. An 8 x 10 Giclee is available for $35.

Shad Boat passing Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse

2009-09-23T14:12:00.022-04:00

Today's painting is an acrylic of the original screwpile lighthouse that sat out in the sound between Roanoke Island and the mainland. A reconstruction of this lighthouse now sits in Shallowbag bay in Manteo. However, the original lighthouse was not surrounded by docks. The only way you could get there was by boat.In this painting, sailing past the lighthouse is a shad boat like the one restored and docked in Manteo, NC. These boats were made on Roanoke Island and were the "pickup trucks" of the local community, meaning everyone had one to do the daily chores. It is my understanding that the shad boat design was unique to Roanoke Island and is now the state historic boat. The painting is 16 x 20 acrylic on canvas, $199. Prints are available on request

Memories of Manteo

2009-09-01T13:45:00.008-04:00

A friend of mine, Suzanne Tate, wrote an oral history called, "Memories of Manteo," and was the reminisces of Cora Mae Basnight who was Agona for many years in the Lost Colony play. It is an interesting book and a photo in the book is of a dock on Dough's Creek near where the new bridge to Roanoke Island Festival Park is now. There are still some boats and docks but nothing like it was in the fishing heydays of Manteo. This place buzzed with boats and fishing activities. I liked the photo a great deal and got permission to paint it. I had a lot of fun with the clouds and they are actually from a photo my mother took facing north at the beach. But they seemed to fit with the boat and dock in the marsh. Acrylic, 16 x 20 framed. $199. Please note: If you are interested in this painting I have taken a better photo of it than this. I can email it to you.

Launch at Dawn

2009-09-01T10:17:00.000-04:00

When I first came to the Outer Banks I noticed these beautiful wooden dories on the beach sometimes in the summer and nets going out into the ocean. This hardly happens anymore but it was a frequent sight in the 80's. If you were lucky enough to be there when the fishermen returned to haul the net back in you might walk away with a fresh fish. acrylic, 16 x 20, barnwood frame included $199.