Widows Lament Pastel 400 Grit Uart 8 ply board 12 x 18

I have spent a good portion of my life up in Gloucester, Rockport, Magnolia, and all along the coast of New England. My relatives are from that area and I knew well about those that go down to the sea in ships. I had an uncle who lost an arm working on a fishing trawler and a relative have his boat wrecked at Norman’s Woe, famed for the Wreck of the Hesperus made famous in Longfellow’s’ poem. The hard life of being a fisherman was one of great toil and little reward for those who worked the boats. Yet something about the sea shall always call the human spirit and it was no different for the men and later women who left the safety of harbors and shore to ply their trade, to catch fish, to be one with the sea. Each time the lines were cast off, the spouse might stand upon the dock, children in tow, wondering, is this the last time they would see their love. Was he truly her love, or was love of the sea first in his heart. Would love for the sea claim yet another. They knew storms in these parts come upon the coast quickly. Racing up the east coast from the Carolinas, the counter clockwise spin of the winds causing a northeast wind to rival any hurricane found in warmer climates. Yet mouths needed to be fed. Bills need to be paid and as his wife bid farewell, the last kiss still moist upon their lips, when those storms came, one could not help but think, this time maybe they should have held on a little longer, begged a little harder. Maybe this time, they could break the seduction of the sea, the sound of the sirens calling her husband, to his death. As the last image faded from site, as the storm kicked up, with each drop of rain, each rush of wind, would brush and mingle with the tears of a widow’s lament for letting him go. 

Sanctuary (Inner Harbor, Rockport, MA)
Pastel 17.75 x 22.75 400 Grit UART 8 ply board 

No offense to my south shore and southern New England brethren but I have always found the coast of New England, northern New England with its rocks and strong lines more interesting than the sandy dunes more often found on Cape Cod and other areas south of Boston. But no matter where you prefer or reside, sailors and fisherman have long found the harshness of the storms that come off the Atlantic with those North East winds need special protection. They built harbors, like this one in Rockport to protect their livelihood from the wrath of Mother Nature. Even behind granite structure like this did not always provide safety for when Mother Nature truly is angry with her children there is no sanctuary or escaping her fury. 

New Hope (She Gives Me) 16 x 20 Pastel 400 grit UART

Sadly there are only two National Historic Sites dedicated to the visual arts. Both are in New England, those being the Saint-Gaudens site, which is located in New Hampshire and the Weir Farm in Connecticut.

The Weir Farm is off the beaten path along the CT/NY border and as I found out many in CT do not know it exists. During my own visit to that pristine place I was strolling about thinking of the artists that at one time walked there: John Singer Sargent, Childe Hassam and John Twatchman are just a few of painter J Alden Weir’s friends. 

I found this scene during my journey around the grounds. I found myself being attracted to the morning light as it came through the same gate those talented artists walked through did many years ago.  I thought of their footsteps, how Weir came to this place and so much more. I thought of my own journey, especially since I had lost my wife a year and half previous to this visit, how my life had changed from what I expected, had planned, had dreamed over the years with my wife, and now that she was gone, how my path was now changed and continues to change forever.

I had resigned to myself that this change, this journey that I was now undertaking I would probably be one I would be taking alone. It was not, as time wore on, that did not want somebody back in my life, to share a life, create new memories for that new journey, it was just that apparently in today’s world I don’t measure up to what woman want, both literally and figuratively. After many rejections, I had pretty much determined that I might as well give up and start planning for a life alone.

Then as the saying goes, when you least expect it and you’re ready to give up hope…things again can change.

She came into my life on a Sunday evening in late July 2017. Like the soft breeze along Lynn Shore Drive and Lynn Beach, which is where we took our first walk on that summer night, talking and laughing for just about two hours. It felt natural, it felt right, it felt like we had known each other for years, had merely lost touch and now the circle that is life had brought us back together. But we had never met, at least not in this life, but still there was something special about the night, about her, about us. Things just seemed to click. It is now a number of months since that July night, and we remain as one, making new memories, sharing a new journey, and falling in love time and time again. She has ignited a spark deep within my heart where it had turned cold. She has taught me to once again to dream of what can be.  She has given me love and she has given me hope. It is because of her and the gift she has given me that this painting is titled “New Hope (She Gives Me)”

Coming in for the Evening  UART 12 x 16 8 ply panel

Long battling the elements and the challenges of the ocean, lobstermen have been working the waters in New England since colonial times. During those early years, lobsters were found in tidal pools. They were extremely abundant and were considered “poverty food” with it often being fed to children, prisoners and indentured servants. Indentured servants were people who sold their services to sponsors in exchange for transport to America. They came to detest lobster so much that they started to write into their contracts that they could not be served lobster more than three days per week.

In the 1800’s, lobster and canning became a match made in heaven. It was soon one of the most desired canned meats. With increased train travel, people ventured into New England. This caused an increase interest in fresh lobster as those traveling to the area had experienced and enjoyed the canned version for years. Restaurants and hotels recognized the desire for fresh lobster and being good businessmen and women, started to jack up the price. By World War II had become the delicacy we know today.

The Vision Place of Souls July 5 - December 22, 2017 at the Lynn Museum - an exhibit of landscape paintings depicting the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War by Jeff Fioravanti

WhereLynn Museum/LynnArts, 590 Washington St, Lynn, MA 01901, USA (map)

DescriptionWe are pleased to announce that the Lynn Museum/LynnArts organization will host a six-month exhibition of the works of artist Jeff Fioravanti, entitled “The Vision Place of Souls”, which focuses on Fioravanti’s interpretations of the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. Fioravanti, a Lynn resident, is a nationally accomplished pastel artist and oil painter. He has long possessed a love of the American Civil War inspired by the artists of that conflict including Winslow Homer, Conrad Wise Chapman, Richard Norris Brooke, Alfred Waud as well as the prints produced by Currier and Ives. He has often parlayed his love of art and American history to help a number of organizations preserve the lands and artifacts of this traumatic period of our nation. His Civil War works have received great acclaim. The late author and Civil War historian Brian Pohanka once said that “Jeff Fioravanti’s paintings evoke an almost tangible sense of place; not in the hills and streams, the fields and forests alone, but in the still greater sense of the heroism and sacrifice that transpired there. The landscape itself is a timeless memorial to those heroes in blue and gray; and Fioravanti has created a lasting tribute to that Hallowed Ground.” The exhibit curator is noted local artist and arts advocate Jocelyn Almy-Testa, who also serves as Executive Director of Extras for Creative Reuse in Peabody, MA. “The Vision Place of Souls” will be on display from Wednesday, July 5--Friday, December 22nd from 10AM-4PM Tuesday-Friday and 9AM-1PM Saturday, at the Lynn Museum, 590 Washington Street, in the heart of downtown Lynn. A full calendar of programs related to “The Vision Place of Souls” will be announced in June 2017.

Winter’s Gold (Breakheart) 9 x 12 UART 400 grit 8 ply board

After surgery in January, there were few activities I was allowed to pursue or enjoy as I recovered. One thing I was allowed was the opportunity to walk. They encouraged me to walk. Having grown up in Saugus, Massachusetts, not far from the Saugus Iron Works, National Historic Site, I knew the perfect place to get myself out of the house and enjoy one of the few exercise options allowed: Breakheart Reservation.

I spent countless hours at the hockey rink near the Saugus entrance to Breakheart, but it wasn’t until much later in life that I started spending time walking and enjoying the trails of this oasis of nature not far from US Route One. As my wife battled cancer, which would eventually claim her, she often would ask to go to Breakheart to walk. I think it allowed her for a few hours to forget her illness and I was more than happy to accommodate here. There are paved hills, though vehicles are not allowed, and that allows for peacefulness without rival so close to Boston. Breakheart is 640 acres with several hills 200 feet or higher allowing for views of Boston.

During one of my many walks, I would often pass this stream. Since I was there early in the morning, I would get to see the sun dance across the snow and add beautiful colors to the rocks caressed by the winter water. I loved the light, the contrast and how the water and its hints of orange and yellow played off the cool blues and purples of the snow. Now the memory of those walks helps to keep me cool on these long, warm summer days.

July Day (Gloucester Coast) 11 x 14 Uart 400 grit 8 Ply board

In Gloucester, Massachusetts they have a famous statue on the boulevard with the caption “They That Go Down to the Sea in Ships” dedicated to those that make their living from the sea, who never returned to their loved ones. People will often wonder what makes them go out in all kinds of weather and risk their lives for so little return. It is love that makes them cast off their lines, tempting fate. We all remember our first love and our greatest love. The mystical powers that love holds over us. That is the story of those who live and battle the sea. They experience that first love each time their boat cuts a wave, they bring in a catch; they mend a net. They risk everything for love! As do all of us. My family comes from Gloucester and I have ventured there often and still do. It is on days like this that I fell in love with the ocean and why I will forever embrace its charm, beauty and fury.