I had the amazing opportunity to sail aboard Saphædra, a 51 foot ketch built in 1965, as part of the Vineyard Cup Regatta in Vineyard Haven, Martha's Vineyard. Jamie Enos has been captain of Saphædra for the past 10 years and often sails or races with a mostly or all female crew.
While sailing I shot video and took photographs as part of my research for my topic 'Women & the Sea.' With these images I hope to create paintings that eliminate horizon lines, much of the narrative context, and showcase the action and reaction of these strong female sailors. Below are some digital sketches of possible painting compositions. I aim to create a flat background and only add to my image the parts highlighted in yellow. By doing this I want to take out a lot of the beautiful glamorized bits of sailing, the sun, the sea, the clouds, and instead focus on the action of those participating and thus the reaction the vessel is having to those in charge of her.
