Blue Dory
fishing dory docked on a Croatian island captured in pastels
About 14 years ago, Michele & I found ourselves on the island of Mljet, Croatia. That afternoon, the local fishing boats were pulling into the harbor — storms predicted for later that evening. As it would turn out, the storms lasted several days, canceling the ferries back to the mainland (and even then, the first ferry back on schedule was a roller coaster of a ride).
I’ve wanted to capture this vignette for years, never very successfully. It’s a simple composition — boat, water, pine, dock — yet I never could quite capture the motion of the boat being rocked by the waves. In retrospect, I think I needed the depth that oil pastels on canvas could offer.
Inspiration Point: Sobra, Mljet, Croatia
