Status of Original Painting – For Sale

All prices are in Canadian dollars

Size: 13 x 20  inches

Price: Inquire

Medium: Watercolour on 300 lb Arches

Description:

This colorful scene of a slipway and aging boats is in Pouch Cove (pronounced “pooch”), a small community north of St. John’s, Newfoundland. It’s on the tip of the Avalon Peninsula.

Pouch Cove dates back to 1611, when it was settled by carpenters, blacksmiths, and other tradesmen who supported the British fishing fleets. The government actively discouraged such settlements, and so Pouch Cove was selected because its dangerous harbour meant the Royal Navy couldn’t easily search the shores. The community was formally established around 1800, with the main occupations being mixed farming and seasonal work as fishermen or sealers. The origin of its name and unusual pronunciation are unknown.

I’m reminded that when I lived in Boston for several years, the spelling of place names was often no guide to how the locals would pronounce them. Hence, Peabody (Pea-biddy), Worcester (Wuh-ster), Leominster (lemon-stir), Reading (red-ing), Gloucester (glah-stah), and Leicester (leh-ster). Newly arrived from Canada, I naïvely asked how to get to the Sears in Pea-body. That drew blank stares and mutters about no such place. Someone helpfully volunteered that I would find a large mall with a Sears close by in Pea-biddy.

I took the reference photo over two years ago. I really liked the scene when I photographed it, but six or seven times since then, the photos didn’t appeal to me at all. But recently one did, and I was able to turn it into a painting that I’m quite happy with. Funny how inspiration and the muse works.