Isalos Fine Art

Other gallery owners have verified that during this time of the year, we seem to get a higher percentage of customers that fit certain stereotypes. Yes, there's the obvious characteristics of the autumn traveler: older, without children, money to spend on art, but not necessarily the wall space in which to hang  it.

But it also seems that  we get more- um,  how would I describe it? Meek visitors. People who seem afraid to even look at me, let alone say anything. Many of them seem afraid to even set foot into the gallery. They stand in the doorway and lean over to see the  price on the painting there. Maybe the price scares them away, I don't know, but for many, that's as far as they get. Some will then tiptoe... I'm not exaggerating, they tiptoe in, afraid to rouse the evil salesmen they imagine  to be lurking in the back. Then they see me sitting here, tucked into my nook right next to the front door. Trapped, at least one recent visitor screamed. Others then might actually go further into the gallery to put some distance between us,  while some will feign an intense interest in the paintings across from me so they can avoid eye  contact on their way out. Now, I could try talking with these people, but more often than not, that really spooks them.

 Rebecca Daugherty, Roadwork: Paving, Town Hall,

oil on panel, 10" x 10", $425

Just for kicks, I thought I'd put some art on the blog. Here's some new Roadwork paintings by Rebecca, both of them done in the wake of the recent work on the Town Hall driveway, next door. 

Rebecca Daugherty, Roadwork: Pick & Shovel,

oil on panel, 10" x 10", $425 

Just in case you're one of those meek visitors, I should point-out that there's nothing wrong with it. Hey, there's enough of you that I've lumped you into a stereotype. In fact, it makes sense that you might feel more comfortable out there in web-land, lurking on the other side of a computer screen, rather than  dealing with a real live person. I get it; that's the trend. I'd be that way if it weren't my job to talk to people all day long. The tragedy I'd like to help avoid though, is you missing-out on art that you may truly love; art that  will improve your life. That's why I put it on the website.

And the other thing worth pointing-out is that yes, it's for sale. You can contact me by email... you don't even have to talk  to me on the phone. You can send me a check or your credit card info and I'll ship it right to you. Then you can enjoy this art in the comfort of your own home, which for me, at the end of a long day of talking with people and scaring a few away, is the greatest way to enjoy art.

I'm often uncertain how much personal or non-gallery material I want to put on the blog, but a woman came in this morning, and after looking at all the art, told me she'd read my blog, and she liked the personal stuff. So I'll unabashedly keep putting these kayaking snapshots on here.

This morning was the first time I'd been out paddling in nice light since I got my camera. The nice light helps, but it  still isn't easy to get that perfect shot. One of the challenges is that you have to put down the paddle to take the picture. The boat keeps moving, the other boat keeps moving, etc, etc. I find my bow in a number of the photos, which I'm starting to like... sort-of a reference point. In this one, I got a little more bow than usual as the wave beneath me threw me off a bit. Then there's those accidental smudges from water on the lens, which I suppose one could argue adds some authenticity to the shot as well. 

In this shot, we're on the west side of Crotch Island. That's Mark Island and Scraggy Island up ahead of Todd. We're paddling out of a cove after riding in on the  surf.

When we moved here a little over three years ago, I promised myself I'd get out on the water  any way I could. It took two years to get into kayaking, which, of course, I wished I'd done right away. When you make your living around tourism, since you're busy working much of the time, it's easy to miss-out on those experiences that draw so many people here. You might even start to resent some of those visitors who seem to be having all that fun. You owe it to yourself and to your visitors to have at least as much fun as them. You should especially be enjoying yourself more than that couple who followed the road to Stonington, got out  of their car and, seeing no fast food restaurants or miniature golf courses, walked zombie-eyed through the gallery before continuing on to Harpers Vineyard up the road.

 Captain Bill Brown rows us to the boat

Today we went for a sail on the schooner Summertime, a 53 -foot pinky schooner that spends the summers taking passengers cruising around Penobscot Bay. What a great time: perfect weather, nice people, and a cruise among the islands propelled only by the  wind. And what a gorgeous boat: built in the 1980's by Captains Bill Brown and George Allen, it has the kind of character that makes you want to  shout "Yo Ho Ho" whenever the Captain says "coming about". Of course it would be a good idea to duck your head too.

Raising the anchor 

Hey- I'm sailing!