This is a conceptual drawing developed from a series of photographs of Boston Harbor taken by New York Photographer J.H. Beal from the Great Northern grain elevator located in East Boston. This section of the harbor is devoted to vessels that worked the Atlantic coast. What is visible in this works embryonic form are small fishing schooners whose masts you can see along the Commercial wharfs north side, and the larger schooners on the left and extreme right side of the sketch. Schooners were used mostly for coastal trade because their smaller size made them less sea-worthy than the large full rigged sailing barks and barkentines such as the Balclutha and the Wavertree that are now floating museums in San Francisco and New York City. Also indicating that the vessels here were used mostly for use on the Atlantic coast is a small white excursion boat in the middle of the drawing. I have tried to give this sketch depth by using a heavy black marker pen for the foreground and a fine point marker pen for the mid- ground and just a number 2 pencil for the more distant buildings. I have just hinted at the Berkshire hills in the distance. See if you all can share in some of the fun that I have doing these paintings. Try imagine what the finished painting will look like, and see how close you come to imagining what the finished painting will look like. I have no idea and am always pleasantly surprised at how much different the finished product is than I had originally imagined it. That is because I don't decide how the finished painting will look, the image tells me what it wants to become during its painting. Kind of spooky, but boy is it cool; I mean really, really cool.
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Julie Mayser 18 Jun 2010
Superb planning and drawing, Stanton! I look forward to watching this develop!!!! :-)Marika Antal 18 Jun 2010
Awo!! Spectacular art work!!James Lanigan-Thompson 17 Jun 2010
Splendid drawing, Mr. Manolakas. I love it when a fellow artisan elevates the simplest drawing instruments to this height. Favorite and PODruth sears 17 Jun 2010
outstanding work,goes right in my favorites.Emily Reed 17 Jun 2010
Just really incredible art!