Finding My Place- My stories behind the paintings and where I found my space

"a space, area, or spot, set apart or used for a particular purpose".  

  It's the area you live or have to work in  It has decor that represents you. When you are there, you can relax and unwind. Sometimes you can't get enough of it. It's your place.  The place you are going, the base camp for family, and one you imagine having. We all live in a place, call it home, and sometimes dream of having the perfect place for yourself and those you love.  The place can be physical, colorful, and have a fragrance.  It also is emotional, dreamy, and with depth of thought.  

For me my art business place has many of these attributes defining it.  The place I create in and create on canvas are made up of past, present, and future places I've been in my life.  And each one tells a story on how I lived and live out my time in that place.  Behind the paintings are stories of my personal places. 

Sailing was something that wasn't a part of my life until I met Diane my wife.  I vacationed with my family by camping up and down the east coast while her family sailed on the water next to it.  One of the first dates I had with her mom and dad was a day on the Chesapeake Bay.  Since then, the more time I go out on my in-laws sailing ship, the more I fall in love with this floating place on the water.

Over time as this place was shared with me, it also became mine.  I can feel the water swells, smell the salty mist, and hear the splash against the sailboat when I close my eyes.  This shared place turned into a shared love and experience.  It was a place for family and good memories.  At one point my father-in-law Ira gave me an old calendar that had black and white photos of sailing during the early 1900's.  That is where these paintings came from.

One picture, three variations of paintings by my brush. Three paintings representing a place that I have fallen in love with visually, emotionally, and spiritually. Each is the same yet differs enough to give a unique sense of experiencing sailing.

I'll bet you have one of those places that brings back smells, sights, and good memories of family. If you close your eyes you can feel what that place is to you. Its home and rest in your heart and you love going back to it again and again. It's your place.

Blessings to you