The Artwork of Brian Kliewer

Getting under way in Rockland Harbor

 

The Victory Chimes passing the Rockland Breakwater

 

 

The schooner, Heritage

 

It was a pretty day for the race, but little or no wind doesn't do a whole lot for a quick start when it comes to sailing vessels. 

 

I'm glad these folks do what they do but you'd NEVER get me up this high!

 

 

Must be quite a view from up there, though.

 

And they're off!

 

I expect to be adding to my Maine Windjammers Series from some of "raft-up" and race the photos I took.  Some of them look like paintings already...and yes, I have saved the best.  But I might post some of the reference photos along with the finished paintings when I get to that point.  We'll see.

Rafting up along the Rockland Breakwater

 

 

2012 Raft-up

I walked out to the breakwater last night to check out the schooners that had gathered for the 2012 Great Schooner Race.  The view was stunning and I expect some paintings to come from this event alone.  I say "alone" because the race takes place today (I'll be watching the start) and next week we have the Maine Windjammer Parade.

 

All lined up

 

In these two shots, I particularly liked how the shadow from the mast and sail from the right ship hit the sail on the Lewis R. French to the left. 

 

I'm not sure how many ships were out there but I believe it was at least a dozen.  I'll try to get a full count at today's race.

 

Passing the Lewis R. French

 

In the photo above you see some of the small boat races that were under way.

 

The schooners Heritage and Victory Chimes at sunset

 

I took a lot more photos - 225 in all.  It was  a lot of fun listening to the chants, shanties being sung and the cannons firing.  As some of the small boats were sailing around the larger schooners, I even heard "The Ride of the Valkyries." 

 

"One golden summer in adolescence...I heard the 'Ride of the Valkyries' on a gramophone and saw Arthur Rackham's illustrations to The Ring." (C.S.Lewis)

 

 

Taking a dip alongside the Heritage

 

...hope the water wasn't too cold.

 

 

I've been away from the web for a while.  My health issues seem to be abating and I expect to resume full blogging activities very soon.  I'm hoping this is just a start. 

Rain, rain, go away

 

 

We've had so much of this stuff over the last couple of months it's absolutely depressing.  The forecast for today and tomorrow "heavy rain."  That has washed out my planned "day sail" aboard The Isaac H Evans.  I was hoping to go on their benefit day sail, scheduled for June 3.  Got word this morning that it's been cancelled for this year.  The forecast for the rest of the week is pretty lousy, too...so not much of a chance to reschedule. 

 

I was really looking forward to it.  But it's been a very rainy spring, so I wasn't surprised.

 

 

We've had some good weather.  I was able to go out to the Rockland Lighthouse on May 18 to take this picture.  In it you can see the new Vinalhaven Ferry, Captain E. Frank Thompson.  I'll be trying it out sometime this summer as I plan to get over to Vinalhaven, too. 

 

If possible, I'll be on the harbor in July to watch the schooners sailing during the Maine Windjammer Parade.  Let's hope it stops raining by then!

"The Stephen Taber Passing The Rockland Breakwater"

24"x36" oil on canvas © 2011 Brian Kliewer

 

 

View paintings of Maine Windjammers.

 

It is a small world, and the Internet makes it even smaller.  I was recently contacted by a mutual fan of the schooner Stephen Taber after he saw my painting online.  I liked his comment...

 

"I enjoyed seeing your charming painting of the Taber passing the Rockland Breakwater light....she shows best with a bone in her teeth rather than pushing along with the yawl boat in little or no breeze, however it doesn't always blow a gale." 

 

No, it doesn't...and I probably wouldn't have been on the breakwater if it had been.  But I agree that a strong wind would have given a stunning view.  However, I love the golden backlit view of the sails in the sunlight here and for me, this worked fine.  The Taber's elegant lines are prominently on display here and that was the most important thing.  I think it's a beautiful ship.  Perhaps future paintings will have more "action" but this day on the breakwater was a very calm, pretty kind of day and I didn't want to change anything. 

 

This reminds me of a walk I took out to the lighthouse once.  It was a fine morning, though kind of chilly.  The breakwater is nearly a mile long and you really don't want to be on it in any kind of "bad" weather.

 

 

When I got out to the lighthouse I decided to take  a break and sat down for a few minutes.  I was on the sheltered side of the lighthouse.  When I got up and looked back toward the shore, the wind had picked up and waves were crashing over the top.  I still had that long walk back to take!  It wasn't quite as bad as it looked but I was dodging spray most of the time.  When I'd see a particularly large wave coming I'd try to time my steps to miss the worst of it.  I got back fine, just a little wet and with nerves mostly intact.

 

 

The building you see in the distance is the Samoset Resort.

 

 

 

It is kind of a long walk.  About halfway out you'll see this granite slab (middle of photo) that spans the breakwater from one side to the other. It's the only piece of granite on the entire breakwater that stretches across its width and it's easy to walk right past without even noticing it. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love walking out to the lighthouse.  You can see so much you'd otherwise miss onshore.  It's almost like being aboard a boat without actually being "on the water."

"American Eagle, Leaving Rockland Harbor" 4"x6" oil on linen © 2011 Brian Kliewer

 

See the entire Maine Windjammers series.

 

During the summer months I often walk out to the Rockland Lighthouse as I did this past June.  I had been planning to do so on a Monday or Saturday morning since this is the time the schooners are either leaving or coming in.   The walk out can be fun, though long...the breakwater  stretches nearly a mile into Rockland Harbor.  By the way, the view in the painting is from the end of the breakwater as the ship was sailing past the lighthouse. 

 

 

One morning as I sat out beyond the lighthouse, I saw a pod of Harbor Porpoises swimming by.  For a few minutes, I thought my eyes were deceiving me as this shadowy mass kept approaching.  Then as they got closer, I counted about eight of them.  I wish I'd had my camera with me then!  

 

I saw these guys hauling lobster traps on another recent walk out (last summer) to the lighthouse...

 

 

 

 

I've been working on several winter scenes but I just had to give it a break and visit summer again.  So, my next few blog updates will involve summer scenes.  Knowing me, I'll probably be painting winter scenes this summer...when the temperatures are in the 90's!

 

Up next... a new full sized painting!