Remenbering Isabel

Remembering Isabel

We are nearing the end of September and there have been no Atlantic hurricanes.  In 2003 we were not so lucky.  On the 19th of September hurricane Isabel came up the Chesapeake flooding us up to the windowsills.  When we finished recovery and remodeling I marked the high water line with a plaque on the kitchen wall.


 The plaque is modeled on the Plimsoll lines painted on ocean-going ships to indicate the safe loading level for adequate flotation. 

Several years later I further remembered Isabel with a painting of King Lear, accompanied by his fool, raging at the storm: "Rage, blow! You cataracts and hurricanoes!"  The storm shows many faces to Lear, activated by Shakespeare's breath, upper right.


 

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

ART, BOOKS, LIFE, & MORE

Image
    12 March  2021 ART, BOOKS, LIFE, & MORE   I've emailed, texted, Facebooked, and else about my art, photography, activities, books, collections, and more to many of you, but now I thought I should consolidate all of this in a blog.  Here's the start.  I expect to update about once a week. Winter is finally closing up.  As one last winter activity I did a painting for a neighbor.  For a Christmas card for 2020, I painted a scene on 18th St reminiscing about neighborhood snow parties when it seemed like we would be snowed out from work in the morning.  The painting was in gouache on paper. The walking figures were done separately and combined via Photoshop.  Our house in red brick is at the top of the hill on the left.       A neighbor on the other side of 18th St asked about a painting of that side.  I painted this as a gift, acrylic on canvasboard.   Warmer weather posts to come!  
Read more

"Alaina's Book of Animals," Another Homemade Book

Image
 Alaina's Book of Animals Another Handmade Book The books I have made as gifts, one-off or just a few copies range from mostly pictures to all text.  A mostly pictures one-off is a book I printed on Tyvek for Alaina's second birthday,   Alaina's Book of GrGrandad's Animals  is simply an assortment of some of my animal themed paintings with identifying labels. .  
Read more

Artists of W 18th Street: John Matassa

Image
 Artists of W 18th Street John Matassa  Several years after Ralph Scharff moved from 2625 W 18th St another artist and family moved in.  John Matassa wasn't a native of the area, but paintings of the landscape and architecture of the Brandywine Valley were part of his eclectic output.  I remember John more for his drawings than his paintings. He was born and received his art education in New England, but had a career as an art teacher at Wilmington Friends School in parallel to his professional art career. We do not own any of John's art, but a portfolio of detailed Delaware steamboat paintings are posted at https://steamboats.com/museum/matassa1.html.  I have not been able to find the back story for this collection or its present location.  Several are clearly marked "Wilson Line," the Wilmington based steamship line founded in the 1880s and lasting until the 1960s.  Here is the "City of Wilmington."    Hagley Museum owns a John Matassa Draw...
Read more