
This little painting came about by daydreaming one afternoon of a houseboat, and what it must be like to live on one. (Damp, for one thing, certainly.) The daydream was brought on by an article in the British Country Living magazine...my very favorite magazine of all in magazine land; every page is eye-candy to me.
I thought how free one would feel to be able cast-off, and set sail for...somewhere. But then, would the dishes stay on the table? Do things have to be tied down? What if there's a massive swell, or heaven forbid, a leak? Do mice come along for the ride? Where would the dog go for a walk? Would we sleep in swaying hammocks under a creaking and groaning rafter? Most worrisome of all, would the liquor have to be rationed? And what about walking the plank? What terrible crime has to be commited to bring that about?
In the end, the daydream turned out to be a kind of nightmare, the more my imagination ran wild. This little woman is happy sailing off with her eyeglass, freedom flag flying, and gulls hitching a ride. Being by the sea is enough for me; walking the beach, sitting in my favorite chair in the morning with my coffee, hearing waves crashing on the rocks, and seeing the Nubble Light in the distance.
I must go down to the sea again...