Block Island
POSTED: Monday, August 6, 2012, 11:35 AMAn Artist's Adventure.
Artist's Notebook (a page from Todd's Journal)
You know I love to draw. So when we take a little time “off”, Joann and I go in search of interesting out of the way places with lots of unique, artistic subjects and spaces. We have always wanted to visit Block Island. And last week, we made the trek. It's about an hour out into the Atlantic Ocean. You can get there easily from Montauk Point or Newport, RI. We chose the ferry from Point Judith.
I have got to tell you, this place is special. The whole island is less than 10 square miles. There's a quaint little town, but the rest is just plain rural. We walked or went by taxi most of the time. One day we rented a car to take in some of the sites. I did a lot of sketching and took a whole lot of photos. I suspect that you'll be seeing some new art coming out soon. I can't wait to get started.
We stayed in the same old hotel that Amelia Earhard stayed in. The year was 1929. Not much has changed since then.
There are three really awesome lighthouses on the island. I know I'll be drawing them. I walked up and down the cliff looking for the perfect spot to take some reference photos for my work. This shot just fell into my lap. Kinda spooky.
And of course, we did the whole beach thing. There's only one beach on the island. It starts wherever you land and continues uninterupted around the whole island. Spectacular.
I struck up a relationship with Jessie Edwards, a local artist and gallery owner on the island. Love her work and her taste. I sent her some of my pieces. If you get a chance to visit her gallery, it's worth the trip. I loved all of the folks we met.
Block Island was settled in 1661 by 16 families. Many current residents trace their lineage to these original 16. In fact, there are over 3 million decendents world wide, who can trace their DNA to these hardy souls. It's a lot of fun to strike up a conversation with someone with one of those familiar names. Then visit there many generations of relatives at the local cemetery. Strange fun.
