99 - Freeport Motif 3

I grew up in Maine, not far from the coast. I have always been captivated by the ocean and the men who risk their lives fishing off the coast and on the Grand Banks. I have been painting the working boats in Maine for many, many years in order to capture what I see as a vanishing way of life. Many of the wharves and harbors where I've painted have changed drastically over the years. I've seen many harbors dredged to bring in marinas for pleasure craft. Once these crafts moved in, many of the boat owners would complain of the smells coming from the fishing boats and I would see the fishing boats and the working docks slowly vanish. Wharves where I used to see hundreds of working boats now typically have less than a dozen. For me, this is very sad.