The image below is an 8-foot charcoal painting from a Bolland photograph taken in the mid-1920's. It represents Gig Harbor's working waterfront of
boatbuilding and fishing vessel repairs.
It is on permanent display in the lobby of the Inn at Gig Harbor along
with two other works that flank the hotel's stone mantle and fireplace.
The Gig Harbor Working Waterfront in the mid-1920s
My father was a fisherman and his father was a fisherman... I learned
to love the boats, the smells, the sounds and the people who make their
living on the sea. It's no wonder I look for every opportunity to do charcoal paintings with maritime themes.
Summer in Friday Harbor. A windy day of sun, record hauls and family. It doesn't get any better.
Above is a photograph of Gig Harbor's annual Blessing of the Fleet in 2009.
The fleet remains the fourth largest in the Northwest. The men and
woman that shaped Gig Harbor's early boatbuilding and fishing industries
leave behind generations of families and a legacy of local character. Mostly of Croatian descent, they shaped Gig Harbor's early development for over a century.
Below I stand with camera in hand on the tophouse of my brother's boat, the Memories, as the Bishop blesses the fleet.
