Back to Traditional Watercolors Page

As a teenager, while on a family vacation in 1978 (two weeks of camping across the nation) we arrived in Coos Bay, Oregon. It was the highlight of my 19 year life. I had taken with me hundreds of rolls of film wrapped in zip lock bags and stored in a cooler to protect them from color shift and was constantly taking photos. I was also currently attending OIP (Ohio Institute of Photography) majoring in Commercial Photography and knew that the trip was going to provide lots of inspiration.

The people we were visiting lived a few miles inland but were determined to give us the full west coast experience so we went crabbing one day and then went coho salmon fishing the next. The bay area docks were covered with overwhelming color combinations and patterns.

I came across this pile of fish netting and floats and composed the photograph. The bright orange ball with complementary greens and extreme contrast form a very 'motion' filled design. I have had the photo for years and have always looked forward to painting it.