Flight back to Orlando from Nantucket

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After a relaxing week in Nantucket it was time to head back to Orlando to continue sketching vigils, memorials and fundraisers for the victims of the mass shooting at Pulse that took 49 lives. Airports are always a place to get a sketch done while waiting for a plane to board. My battery was recharged, but a vacation always seems lie it is over just as you are beginning to relax.



Glen Weimer, a college buddy was a consummate host, letting me sleep in his own bedroom as he slept downstairs. We watched several movies in the evenings. One was about Lincoln getting the votes needed to stop slavery. I fell asleep. Another however was about Woodstock, a small town in upstate New York that got more than it planned on when it hosted a concert in the 60s. A young man had decided to host the concert because he felt the sleepy little town needed a boost. Called Taking Woodstock, the movie did an awesome job of following the families story as they adjusted to the sudden changes that a single concert bought to the town. That is a concert I wish I could have sketched.

View from the Nantucket Hostel

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I was waiting for someone at the Star of the Sea Youth Hostel, so I took the time to sketch the view across the street towards the ocean. There is a home between the hostel and the beach and a couple of dunes as well. One of the hostel guests had his sippy drink and a cell phone and was chatting before he drove off on his Vespa. Since I got this much done on the sketch, I must have been waiting for an hour or so. I am attracted to the wind blown shapes of the tree trunks next to the beach. They reminded me of the wispy trees found at Big Sur in California.

Grey is a color that isn’t usually used by me in watercolors, but in Nantucket every building is grey, so I actually had to find an art store to get a tube of black and white paint so I  could mix grey each day. Luckily the art store was just a block away from Glen Weimer‘s home. Sometimes things do line up perfectly. This was my last day on the island. I  miss it.

Surfside Beach in Nantucket

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Another glorious relaxing day alone at the beach in Nantucket. I don’t wear sunglasses so the beach was shockingly white and bright. Others read and relaxed under their umbrellas while I sketched. Whenever I got too hot I would go out in the surf for a dip in the ocean. Then once I dried off enough, I continued to sketch. The one airport on the island is right at the end of the beach, so periodically a large airplane would land or take off, connecting the island to the mainland.

I was content to feel like a castaway with a sketchbook. Glen Weimer had to work during the day, so I spent my time exploring the beach or island with my sketchbook. There is something very rewarding getting to see an old art school friend after so many years. In the evening he took me out to Millie’s Restaurant near Madakett Beach. Millie was a colorful native of the island and the restaurant is a local favorite among the islanders. I had a delicious Po Boy sandwich which hit the spot at the end of a long day baking at the beach.

The Red Violin at the Nantucket Community Music Center

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Glen Weimer was kind enough to get me in to sketch the presentation of the Red Violin at the Nantucket Community Music Center. “The Red Violin” and the “Red Mendelssohn” are the two nicknames given
to the violin built in 1720 by Antonio Stradivari and painted by
Stradivari with a distinct red varnish that remains intact on the violin
to this day. The Red Violin Movie shows Antonio using his wife’s blood to add color to the varnish after her sudden death during child birth.

For more than 200 years, the whereabouts of the violin were unknown,
until it reappeared in the possession of an heir of the composer Felix
Mendelssohn in 1930. In 1990 the Pitcairn family purchased the violin at
a Christie’s auction for $1.7 million, setting a new record at the time
for Stradivarius violins.

Elizabeth Pitcairn was 16 years old and had been playing violin for 13 years when her family bought her the Red Mendelssohn. For the past 26 years Pitcairn has honed her technique on the violin
and, in doing so, has developed a complex relationship with the
instrument “I’m not sure where I stop and the violin begins,” Pitcairn said.

I of course hoped to sketch the Elizabeth playing the violin but she only talked while holding the instrument delicately. She would be performing on on July 17th at the Nantucket Hotel but unfortunately I would be flying back to Orlando that same day and would miss the opportunity to hear the instrument in action. Instead I heard chatter as I sketched furiously. The goal of Red Violin Weekend was to raise money to provide more scholarships for island music students.

Old Spouter Gallery in Nantucket

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I went with Glen Weimer to an opening at the Old Spouter Gallery, (118 Orange Street

Nantucket Massachusetts). The gallery name of course refers to a whales, spout. Nantucket Island has long been a magnet for artists, revered for its scintillating ocean light and uniquely beautiful landscape, as well as for its vibrant Artist’s community.

In 2018 the gallery will celebrate its 20th year as one of the most interesting and eclectic Art Galleries on the island of Nantucket – a very special showcase for exciting new, mid-career, and established artists.  The building itself dates back to 1756.

I wandered the galleries and then decided to sketch from the front porch as people arrived.  I set myself for more of a challenge that expected since the wine was being served at a table to my left and the line for drinks usually blocked my view inside. Patience and perseverance were needed to complete the sketch.

Artist Katie Tringle Legge painted inviting still life’s with succulent peaches. Joan Albaugh painted Edward Hopper inspired homes. Sunlight filled the scenes and there was a strange absence of windows on the buildings. I have to say these paintings seemed to be flying off the walls. It felt good to sit in an witness the ongoing industry of art on the island.

Church Renovation on Nantucket

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The First Congregational Church (62 Center St, Nantucket Town, Nantucket, MA) was undergoing renovations when I was on the island. This church has welcomed visitors to the island for more than 200 years.

The original vestry was built about 1725, but dismantled and
moved to its current site in 1865. The first tower was built in 1795
and a bell was hung in the tower in 1800, the first one on the island.
The tower was removed and the church moved to the back of the property
to make room for the current church in 1834. The current tower was
added in 1968.

I couldn’t resist sketching the building surrounded by a skeleton of scaffolding. The back alley I was in had manicured topiaries and an American Flag. The grey sky let loose a light rain that sent me scurrying for cover. The rain only lasted a few minutes however, so I was able to return to my spot and finish up the sketch.

For me this was a restful day wandering the island and sketching at every opportunity. I still hoped to get to sketch the oldest house on the island which would be a short hike away. The weather cooperated allowing me to continue my day long sketch crawl in peace. My friend Glen Weimer was a consummate host taking me to the best local eateries each night. I packed a lot in to my one week on the island, getting to explore it like a local.

Glen’s Nantucket Home

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Glen Weimer and I were buddies back in the early days of our studies at the School of Visual Arts in NYC. It had been a long time since we saw each other and it was so amazing to  get away and spend a week exploring his home of Nantucket Island in Massachusetts. Glen rents this beautiful little bungalow along with a roommate. Glen keeps the place immaculately clean, watering the lawn each morning and squeegeeing the shower tiles. His bedroom is right above the porch and rather than using air conditioning, the windows have fans to circulate the ocean breezes.

Waving in the breeze on the porch was a rainbow colored wind sock.  I had visited shortly after the Pulse Nightclub massacre in Orlando and it was a chance to get away from sketching the sadness as Orlando came to grips with the gravity of what had happened. Every day I found some vigil, fundraiser or healing service devoted to Pulse. Nantucket gave me time to myself and sketching opportunities outside the confines of mass murder. The rainbow wind sock brought back flashes of the endless rainbows that had cropped up everywhere in Orlando. The entire world was in solidarity with our loss.

Glen’s place also doubles as his office where he offers holistic bodywork for clients. Sessions are a synthesis of polarity therapy and subtle osteopathic
(manual therapy) techniques, structural mobilization and positional
release techniques. They are customized to address unique needs and
specific body-mind challenges. On his coffee table were photo books of his trip to Tibet where he explored the birthplace and temples of Buddhism.

It was wonderful to see how Glen had rebuilt his life. Though on an island, he was part of a tight knot community. Appointments for his business were logged in digitally and he went through the schedule to be sure all the appointments lined up right.  In the morning he built a complex blended drink with powders, fruit and vegetables that must have been incredible healthy. That is in stark  contrast to the Peanut Butter Captain Crunch I have each morning. He told me something that has stayed with me and I think about often. He said we are all rich in our own way. We make choices about our lifestyles and who we surround ourselves with. While some may have lots of money, others choose freedom and creative or spiritual endeavors that offer different forms of riches. It was in a time of incredible personal chaos and change when I visited him, and that hasn’t changes two years later. Seeing Glen gave me some form of consistency and hope that I will find my place in the world.

Star of the Sea Youth Hostel of Nantucket

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If you don’t want to pay a kings ransom to stay on Nantucket island, your best bet is the Star of the Sea Youth Hostel (31 Western Avenue Nantucket, Massachusetts 02554 ), just a short walk from Surfside Beach. Glen Weimer let me stay with in in his rental cottage. I walked over after relaxing on the beach After doing a sketch and relaxing on the beach, I decided to walk over and see how the other half lives.

The Life Saving Station at Surfside, the first of its kind built on
Nantucket Island, was originally constructed in 1874 in a Carpenter
Gothic style with Stick Style embellishments. It was enlarged in 1884
with addition of east and west wings and an enclosed cupola. The first
rescue was on March 9, 1877 when the entire crew of the W.F. Marshall
was brought safely ashore. The incidence of shipwrecks off Surf side
diminished toward the end of the 19th century and in 1921 the Coast
Guard abandoned the station. During World War Two the station was used
again by the Coast Guard as an outpost for beach patrol. In 1963 the
property was purchased by American Youth Hostels Inc. and has since been
used as the Star of the Sea Youth Hostel. 

The hostel is a quaint barn like structure with a steep pitched roof, and huge orange doors that open out towards the beach. Dunes and a home hide a direct view of the beach across the street, but it is a very short walk over the dunes. A large group of kids in bright yellow jerseys were getting ready for a bike ride. Each bike had a triangular orange flag. Other guests relaxed around the picnic tables planning their day. This is a summer-only hostel open from May 18 – October 15, 2018

The Nantucket hostel is a little slice of paradise. They have everything you need to settle in for a little rest and
relaxation. Chairs or boogie boards are available so guests can hit the beach
or rent a bike and cycle around the island on one of the many bike paths.

Guests come from around the world so you never know who you might meet during the free
breakfast. At the end of the day you can grill up a tasty feast
and trade stories from your adventures as the sun sets over the
island. There is a female dorm and a male dorm and a stay is about $42 for the night.

  • Incredible beach side location
  • Free Wi-Fi
  • Free continental breakfast
  • Fully equipped, shared guest kitchen
  • Access to chairs and boogie boards

Surfside Beach on Nantucket

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Surfside Beach is a short drive from Glen Weimer‘s cottage on Nanucket. He let me  borrow his car and I packed a beach umbrella, sunscreen and a blanket along with my sketch supplies. I set up early and watched as people arrived to soak up the sun. This  is a rare moment where I was sketching not to document a particular event, but just sketching for the joy of sketching. Line didn’t seem as important in this beech scene.

With the sketch done, I closed my eyes and relaxed while breathing in the salt air. This incredible island it a true escape. It was a warm beautiful day, and I needed to recharge my personal battery.

Street Performers in Nantucket

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After a full day of exploring the Nantucket side streets, I went downtown in the evening and sketches several street performers. Street performers are not encouraged in Orlando and they are banned by an ordinance in Winter Park. In Orlando performers are told they must move to blue beggars boxes which have been painted on sidewalks in 27 obscure places downtown. Evening strollers occasionally dropped a tip in the open case. Having an
open case in Orlando would get you shut down by police unless you were
in a blue box.

It was nice to sit and listen and sketch the acoustic performance. The arts can flourish in plain view of the public on Nantucket. The performers were curious about my sketch, so we chatted for a while between sets. They come out too this downtown spot quite often to jam together.

I was fairly familiar with the streets between downtown and my friend Glen Weimer‘s house, so I hiked back to his place. It had been a productive day, so it felt good enjoying the night air as I hiked. I like he gloaming hour when the silhouettes of the homes are barely visible against the evening sky.

There is something magical  about Nantucket. The architecture reminds me of Charleston which has tons of history. The sea faring history of Nantucket is visible everywhere. Although the rich move in every summer, there is a balance among the native islanders. There is also plenty of untouched natural land on the island. There are no monolithic mansions like in the Hamptons. Instead all the homes feel like they have been on the island for hundreds of years.