Staying Warm on Land and at Sea

I am restoring my Dad's old Sunny Jim wood stove that he had in his workshop for as long as I can remember. My cousin rescued it from Dad's house before it sold and we picked it up on a trip to North Carolina this past weekend. It will be a welcome addition to the studio although much of this winter has passed.

Stove Black saves the day

Wood stoves are great in most any situation, but onboard a traditional sailboat... I believe that's the best. If I had a bit larger cabin (Annie is just to small) and a deep pocket- the Sardine would be first choice. The green enamel one below is on the Scandinavian workboat/yacht Sjogin. More here.

What's not to like?

I did have a small wood stove on my first boat Quelle. A picture is buried in our Florida storage but here is a shot that shows the Charlie Noble chimney on the bottom right.

Winged out in late afternoon, 1979

So grab your stocking cap and some fat lighter, cook the coffee and unplug the bottle of Irish! The rest of the winter will be fine. Just sayin'.

Twisted Stave

After a planning meeting at Deltaville Maritime a few of us dropped by Capt. Crunch's sign shop where a few volunteers were building a 1/2 scale model of a deadrise fishing boat. It will be an interactive in the new exhibit building...

Russell shapes staves that cross plank the bow. The model is being built upside down
and will be flipped once the 'underwater' part of the hull is completed

John England inspects the stave. It has been band sawed out of thicker
stock to form the twisted shape needed at that point.

Looking aft. The stem is at the bottom left, the keel running back,
and the chine on the bottom right.

The horn timber curves to bring the flat aft end up to the
surface of the water. This is to create the bouyancy needed to semi-plane...
desired in a fast running Chesapeake fishing boat.

Deadrise at work
Painting ©Curt Bowman 2013

New Work

I have just finished the small work in a series that comes from my sailing. A departure from my more representational paintings. Back to the easel...

QuayGlyph #9, Oil, mahogany veneer, zinc powder and
laser transfer on steel, 15" x15"
© Curt Bowman 2014, All rights reserved

More at CurtisBowman.com

           then click Painting, Fine Art: On the Quay

Space for Spars

We're in our new house and I have just finished off my workshop/studio. It's an out building so often lately I have been trudging out there through the snow. Although many of my friends 'creatively' comment about the winter here, I am quite liking it. We are predicted another blast tonight. Soups on...

Early morning white

Hanging insulation... a necessary itch

Ready to paint and as my friend Capt. Jay said, "a space for spars"

A Phoenix Rises

Last week I drove over to Deltaville, Virginia to consult on a museum project. The Deltaville Maritime Museum is rebuilding after a devastating fire in 2012 that took the museum building, the attached pavilion, several boats and much of the collection and exhibits. It is a volunteer-based institution and they have come back strong.

Photo: Larry Chowning

A new pavilion, comprised of a large kitchen and multi-purpose hall, as well as a new exhibit and office building have been constructed. Grants are in place to start exhibit development and everyone is working hard to "rise again".

A retrospective of John Barber's paintings of the Chesapeake will be the first exhibit opening in April with much more to come. I am really looking forward to being a part of this worthwhile endeavor.

New Museum Building and Exhibit Hall

Open architecture with clerestory windows