Chincoteague Houseboat

5"x7" oil on gessoed masonite artboard

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
- Mark Twain

The fourth & final painting of last Friday's paint-out in Chincoteague was completed in the afternoon. I'm calling it, "Chincoteague Houseboat".

After lunch, I headed down to Curtis Merritt Harbor marina near the end of South Main Street on Chincoteague. Now at 2pm, the sky was clouding up and the wind picking up a bit, too, but I had been admiring some of the larger boats here. As long as the wind didn't send me & my gear into the water, I knew I'd have the last painting of the day right there. I had checked out the views from both sides of the marina & found I couldn't go wrong either way, but I had one view that really appealled to me - but what I thought was a shed or small building....turned out to be a houseboat! Wow! I found out through one of the boaters who came up to see what I was up to. "Oh, you're painting the house-boat".
me, "That's a houseboat?...wow, does it go out very often?"
The boater told me, this fellow who owns the houseboat only takes it out once or twice a year, but certainly for the pony swim! Now there's a story - and something I'd love to see! It's been almost 20 years since I've been to a pony penning day on Chincoteague (it happens every year, the last week of July). But the excitement stays with you - it's something you never forget! I think I need to get me back to the island during July and see this again! I'll be watching out for the houseboat!

The plein-air event on Chincoteague is so well planned and hosted. There's a couple that hosts a dinner for the artists on the Friday night of the weekend event. They always have a wonderful spread of food and desserts in warm and inviting surroundings. It is always fun to see old friends who continue to return to the paint-out as well as new friends that you haven't yet had the pleasure to meet. Now, as beautiful as the surroundings are to paint, there are many of us artists who smile, wink & tell you we definitely come back for the Friday night dinners!

Contact me for purchase information on this painting: roxannesteed@gmail.com