Confessions of a Workaholic

Tenacity47
Sun 1 Apr 2012 18:48
I’m not sure if I can generalize what a cruiser is like. One might imagine someone kicking back in the cockpit, with a tropical drink, and a book. Or someone always on the move to sail to another place. Or  perhaps someone wandering hot sandy beaches, or exploring little towns, catching fish,  buying fruit from the natives, bread from the baker, and wearing flip flops and bathing suits. Or it could be someone exploring big city museums,  eating at local restaurants, or  enjoying marina life.  Or spending hours working on the boat, either fixing something, maintaining something, or improving something.  We’ve dabbled in a bit of each of  these behaviors,  but generally, I buy groceries at big chain store, ( unless I get to the the smaller markets when they are open, and NOT at their 2-3 hour lunch break.)  And instead of flip flops on hot sandy beaches, I’ve been wearing fleece socks, boots,  and a winter coat quite often. And instead of a tropical drink, it’s either a cold beer or hot broth (yummy on a cold day) But the biggest behavior that I have adopted as routine, even obsessive, is in search of things to paint. And then, executing the paintings.
It started in Horta.  When I gave art lessons to my young friend Maria from South Africa.  While I was teaching her to work on her painting, I needed to start one of my own to show her some techniques.  Then I became interested in doing little drawing of old city streets, that aren’t found in my hometown of Annapolis.  These were colored pencil, and some acrylic paint.
Then when we were having transmission work  done at the Tagus Yacht Yard,  the owner there hired to me to paint a portrait of his daughter. So out came my oil paints, and since I was offered a spare room as a studio, I started buying little canvases and began a body of paintings of Portugal scenes. Some of which were of places most people wouldn’t think of as “pretty”.   But the paintings turned out pretty cool!
Then, in Oeiras, where I got that rather large commission, and another “studio”, I took my camera where ever I went and snapped away at anything that could be a painting. One was of a little cat on the rocks along the water. Boring photo actually, but I thought is might be a cool painting, And I loved painting the relationship between the rocks and the water.  And te painting was a hit among the locals.  Then I started one of the same cat sitting in between two pillars, made of concrete with peeling paint.  And I discovered how fun it is to  paint old peeling paint!!
Then I started a painting of a boy that was hanging out at the Tagus Yacht Yard, only at the shipyard part of the complex. And again, I became obsessed with this one too.
Now I have no studio except our boat.  Our cabin as dark. So I really need to rig good light so I can see what I am doing.   I am used to paintings the size of cars, OF cars,  in my brightly lit Eastport studio. But now I am doing tiny canvases, a big change for me, and to have to get really close. So I need good light.
Painting during the day help, having sunlight come in. It’s been too cold or windy to paint outside, and I have much more table room below. So I’ve been rigging work lights.   But lights consume power. One is really good, a fluorescent light that draws only .9 amps.   This is an issue now because we are at a mooring and are relying on things other than dock power to keep our batteries up.  Amazingly, our systems are actually working! The wind generator, and the solar panels put out enough juice That I can paint guilt free with one light  for hours. We can also run the engine, which heats up our water as well as puts a good charge to the batteries. And when it’s really windy AND sunny, I can hang not one, but TWO lights,  plug in the computer’s battery charger , hook up our new antenna,  get free internet and listen to NPR while I paint!!  THIS is heaven.!!!!!
And when we go into shore, I am forever in search of cats, rocks,  old streets, weird light, boys hanging out and peeling paint.  And whatever else happens to strike.
This and I am still on the lookout for reflections in shiny cars.  Only the car paintings that I will do here will be small, and the reflections may involve classic Portuguese roof tops and palm tree
I realize I am happiest when I am working!!!    I still love sailing to new places,  learning about the local winds, tides,  and weather patterns, LOVE exploring the depths of the towns we visit, LOVE LOVE the people that we’ve met, LOVE trying out my Portuguese on new people (getting better every day)  I LOVE learning about Portugal’s history and traditions,   and I love going to museums, (I absolutely cherished Portimao’s Sardine Museum) I love working on the boat and seeing progress, ( like varnishing, )  and I even love hanging out and reading. But what I love the most is making stuff.  And for the time being, I am making lots of little pictures out of canvas and oil paint.