The Appeal of Sailboats

“Sailing at Sunset”   4” x 6”    Pastel    $35    © Sharon Lewis
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            What is it about sailboats that make them so appealing to people? Maybe it’s because you can travel on the water without the loud sound of an engine or the smell of diesel fuel?  Maybe also since many of us live and work in or near cities, our lives are full of engines and smog and pollution and you can operate a sailboat without any of these.

            Does sailing take us back to a simpler time? Maybe, though it’s not easy to sail well and I am a great example of that.  I’m so often entranced by the views that I forget to pay attention to the direction of the wind. Maybe it’s a type of boating that really tests your skills because really, even a middle school kid can operate a motorboat (not saying they should), right?

            However, even to people that don’t sail, I think sailboats and paintings of them are symbolic…perhaps of escape? Of romanticized adventures on the high seas? What do you think?

            Whatever your opinion on this, although I grew up with mostly motorized fishing boats, I love seeing and painting sailboats. I love the colors and shapes of them as they glide across the water.

            I picked this painting to post today because in spite of the cool looking water, the sky is sunny, warm, and cheerful… a welcome sight on this misty, cold, and dreary day in Georgia. Today’s painting is based on photographs I took of sailboats off the west coast of Washington. After all of the rest of the sailboats were gone there was one sailor out on the water enjoying the last rays of the setting sun. Happy Weekend!