An Adventure Story III****Commission for a collector from Seattle Print

Acrylic on linen canvas size 25.6 x 51.2 x 1in= 65x 130 x 2.54 cm The idea was to paint harbor as a meeting point between two opposite worlds, the sea and the coast. It's a transitional ground: people stay here and then leave, ships approach, some others leave. This dynamic movement creates a certain rhythm and shows that the harbor has life of its own. I wanted to capture that rhythm & its characteristics. The whole composition, made of 3 canvases that act as a whole, is organized in 3 stripes. Foreground plan belongs to sea people: sailors, fishermen, workers mending nets. They are hard working people, nevertheless, it's as if they hear whisper coming from the horizon, calling them to move to open sea. They always respond. Sometimes they're craving for adventure. Sometimes they just go. Second stripe shows ships & boat waiting at harbor. They are a contrast to the ships on the horizon (anchor vs raised sails). Numerous masts and raised sails have symbolic meaning. Sails are painted in thin layers and I used a technique similar to painting nudes, in order to convey the same quality- fluidity of the subtle form. Being placed on the horizon, these ships are reminder that one can choose to approach life as if he/she's living an adventure, thus facing many challenges and avoiding fear. Wind in sails has symbolic meaning. It's a power that evokes creativity, it's passion, volition, fire, love, free spirit, and above all thirst for life. The composition is inspired by the collector's traveling paths & works of great artists & poets, writers: John Singer Sargent, Pablo Neruda, Matthew Kneale... Materials used< Schmincke Akademie, Feine Kunstler- Acrylfarben, Golden Gesso, 100% linen canvas