My painting group did copies of masters as an educational exercise. I did this one as an homage to two of my favorite things, reading in a hammock and paintings by Winslow Homer. I was lucky enough to walk the cliff walk near Homer's home, imagining him there, painting those rocky shores. There is speculation that the girl is Helena de Kay, with whom Homer was in love for many years. It was an unrequited love, and he lost her to another man. Homer never married.
One of my favorite stories about Homer is that he would sit outside sketching away, and unless a drawing really pleased him, he crumpled it up and threw it on the ground. He would pay local boys to pick up the mess he made, and some of their parents were smart enough to keep those rejected sketches. Wonder what they are worth today?
Carmen
