The Yacht Witchcraft

October 2016 we raced in the Maryland Yacht Club Challenge race. It was a windless, yet beautiful evening. The race ended with no one able to cross the line before time ran out. I did have my iphone out though and one of the boats I photographed was Witchcraft. Witchcraft was built in 1903 and has an amazing history. Thanks to Paul Itzel a former owner and restorer, who found her rotting in Rock Creek in 1970 she is still beautiful today. I painted her because she is a beautiful piece of history and I was attempting to paint a sunset in this large painting, 18” x 24”.

After completing the painting in February, I tried to locate the owner. I realized that there was a website: www.theyachtwitchcraft.com. Her story is fascinating and is well worth reading. I emailed Bob and asked if he were interested in purchasing the painting. He said that he was not home until the middle of April and could he see it when he returns. I put the painting in a show put on by The Chesapeake Show in the Candleberry Gallery in St Michael’s, MD for the month of April and part of

May. Dave and I were working on Dianthus at Oak Harbor in the middle of May. I left to pick up the Witchcraft painting and when I return to Oak Harbor I realize that the Witchcraft boat is on the hard at Oak Harbor.I asked Derek if I could leave the painting in the marina office while Dave and I are gone sailing in the Bermuda 1-2. I email Bob to tell him where the painting is and if he comes by to look at the boat he could see the painting as well. Chris walks by and I tell him what I have done and he says he can do one better. Bob is here somewhere right now. I will call him.

Bob looks at the painting and says he would like it but his wife needs to decide. She herself is a painter and he has been asking her for years to paint Witchcraft. Apparently, she prefers flowers. I suggest to Bob that if he brings his wife by while we are gone and she wants the painting to just take it and we can settle up later.

The painting is now hanging in Bob’s home.

Why I started to paint in my 50’s.

My life even into my 50’s never had a complete focus on me. I went through art school, but never focused on my personal art once I had children. Through the years each day I bounced from one priority to the next. I always thought that at some point when my kids were finally in grade school, finally driving, finally off to college, I would have time to focus on my life and accomplish the artistic goals I have always wanted to fulfill. Yet, as all my professional and familial thresholds were met and gone through another task came for me to take on.

I did start to consider myself in 2006 when I met a wonderful man who began to teach me to sail. Sailing was a personal goal I knew immediately I wanted to accomplish. My second personal goal was to become a Master Gardener which I did in 2014. Still working at a career and having elderly parents to help into older life as well as children bouncing back home my life continued to be chaotic.

In the fall of 2014 I decided to take a watercolor class. If my wonderful husband and I were planning on cruising one day, even part-time, I needed a new art form that I could do while sailing. I had not painted since college and had only tried watercolor once when I was 18.

Three things pushed me forward. First my mother now in her mid 80’s with dementia was living near the weekly watercolor class. My mother painted in watercolor when she was an adult and I decided my goal for the class was to paint one new painting each week. After the class I would take the painting to show my mother. Next, my brother - a financial planner with a new office, needs artwork at his firm. He offered to pay for the framing if I would paint him four paintings. Lastly, on a beautiful day in the fall I was drawing a picture of our marina before we were to shove off for our Wednesday night sailboat racing. A friend came to crew with us and less than two hours later he had died just a half hour after I got him to the hospital. He was just 50 years old. 

That was it. I was going to focus on me. I have focused on watercolor painting. I still have set backs. I still need more time. I still have so much to learn. A friend asked me last night if I didn’t regret not starting to paint earlier in life. I can’t say no, but I didn’t and I can only go forward. 

Do you know who owns this boat?

Often my paintings are painted from photographs I take while Dave and I are racing on Dianthus. This year I didn't get to take as many shots because I was often driving the boat. It is almost impossible to take photos while driving. During the CRAB (Chesapeake Regional Assessable Boat) Regatta this year we did have crew and we had little wind. I do remember driving, but it was a long slow race and my iphone did come out. 

After I paint I have fun being a detective. I try to find who owns the boat. Perhaps they may like to purchase the painting. For this painting of Rendezvous I looked up the CRAB registration and found the owner's name. Next Googled his boat and name and found he was a member of NASS and what kind of boat I painted. I went on to Facebook and found three gentleman with the same name. One lived in Annapolis and his head looked familiar. He didn't use his site much. It looked like he had it to post grandkids accomplishments. He did have what seemed like a son that was more active. Voila! His son had a mutual friend of mine. This friend was a woman I met in May at my daughter's wedding. She was the mother of my new son-in-law's good childhood twin friends. I messaged her and had a good time catching up and was given the boat owner son's contact information. I sent him a text. 

Whether the owner purchases the painting or not, I have to say I have fun hunting them down. This search took about 40 minutes.