Happy Holidays!

Hoping that my blog followers, collectors and friends have a wonderful Christmas, Hanukkah or Holiday Season. Wishing you a happy and healthy 2014.  What more is there anyway, than health and happiness?

Cheers from my little corner of the world in Opua, New Zealand.

The Boats of Opua - The Wonderland

This boat is anchored at Opua. It caught my eye because the solar panel and wind generator implies that it travels long distances and might be from another country. As I painted it, I zoomed in on a photograph of the stern of boat to see if I could read the name.  It is the Wonderland from Boulder, Colorado.  I'd heard of this boat but didn't realize she was still in Opua.

About eight months ago, an American vintage wooden schooner, The Nina, sailed from Opua heading for Australia, but never arrived. On board were seven people including Evi from Boulder, Colorado. Sadly, this is her boat - waiting for her to return.

The disappearance of The Nina made international news, especially here in New Zealand as Opua was her last port. It hit a storm, lost all sails, and hasn't been heard from since. I was one of thousands who spent a lot of time searching satellite maps of the Tasman Sea for The Nina, through Tomnod. Tomnod is a company that uses crowdsourcing to analyze satellite images in searches. Volunteers like me, look at the satellite images on our home computers and tag anything that looks out of place. In the case of the Nina, we were looking for a bright orange life raft or a boat. If multiple people tag something (crowdsourcing) then the experts take a look. Many believe The Nina is still out there in the Tasman sea, waiting for a rescue. I hope so.

The Boats of Opua - Wonderland

8" x 6" oil on gessoed board, unframed

U.S. $125 plus $7 shipping

SOLD

The Boats of Opua - Dry Dock

This is the tenth piece in my latest painting project, 'The Boats of Opua'. I couldn't find the yacht's name on the hull so it is titled, 'Dry Dock'.  November 1  - April 30 is cyclone season in the South Pacific, so many of the yachts that are sailing the world or the Pacific, seek safe harbor in my part of New Zealand. I'm guessing this is a good time to have work done on the boats as the Opua boatyard looks pretty busy.

The Boats of Opua - Dry Dock 

8" x 6" oil on gessoed board, unframed

US $125 plus $7 shipping 

The Boats of Opua - Rock and Roll Star

On Tuesday afternoon, I spent some time wandering around the marina, photographing boats. This yacht caught my eye as she looked like she had just arrived in New Zealand. I watched as the sail was lowered and she continued into the port under power.  Her name and port were on the hull; Rock and Roll Star, Plymouth and she was flying the Union Jack. I googled the name and found that the boat is owned by a couple who started their sailing adventure in early 2013. They were in Tonga a week or two ago.

I must admit, I cheated a bit and punched up the colour of the sea and made it a little choppier. The water in Opua is often this colour, but that afternoon the sea was flatter and grey.

The Boats of Opua - Rock and Roll Star

8" x 6" oil on gessoed board, unframed

This little study has been donated as a fundraiser for my town of Opua

The Boats of Opua - Companion

I'm not sure if this is a boat-passing-through or if it is local...but I've seen it anchored in the bay at Opua. I had to use my telephoto lens to zoom in on the stern in order to read the name, Companion. 

This is my 8th painting for my Boats of Opua project. Twenty-two to go!

The Boats of Opua - Companion

8" x 6" oil on gessoed board, unframed

US $125 plus $7 shipping

SOLD

The Boats of Opua - Bullion Rover

This is the seventh little oil in my latest project, The Boats of Opua. I've seen the Bullion Rover in Opua more than once, so my guess is that it is a New Zealand boat - possibly a local one.

At first I painted it with the boatyard behind it, but it was so busy I wiped off most of the other boats and just suggested a couple in the water behind the Bullion.  I wonder how it got its name?
I'm learning a lot with this latest project. My bird project was all about simplification of subject matter. Painting small oils of boats makes me concentrate on values and color, otherwise the boat gets lost in the clutter of the background, other boats, reflections, etc.

The Boats of Opua - Bullion Rover

8" x 6" oil on gessoed board, unframed

US $125 plus $7 shipping

SOLD

The Boats of Opua - #5867

#5867 has such a nice shape, I had to paint it. I saw it in the boatyard at the Opua Marina a few months ago. Perhaps it was getting a new paint job. This is the sixth boat painting I've done for my latest project, The Boats of Opua. Once I've completed a dozen or two, I'd like to use a few as studies for larger paintings.

The Boats of Opua - #5867 The Anna Marie

8" x 6" oil on gessoed board, unframed

US $125 plus $7 shipping

SOLD

Edited to add:  A friend looked up the boat on the New Zealand fishing vessels register and tells that #5867 is a trawler and it has a name - Anna Marie!  Much prettier than a number.