Seth Tane

As I write this, the power has just come back on after six days of not quite cold and dark that I don't remember ordering for my birthday week (I do have a generator, a woodstove and plenty of free firewood). Nothing like a little wake-up call after a year of chaos to make me think about some next-phase life changes. The painting above, Vancouver II shares the view west from Stanley Park in Vancouver, BC. That stone outcropping is Slhx̱í7lsh (formerly Siwash Rock) with a view that includes ships anchored in the roadstead of Burrard inlet and out to the shores of Vancouver island blending into the clouds in the distance.

North-South indeed, and it looks like that's the way I'm headed, since I've arranged to downsize my Portland presence and go mobile. I've made a deal to buy a liftboat, shown here partially elevated out of the Louisiana bayou where it's been sitting along with many others for some years. Happily, it was refurbished just before being parked, and it was very cleverly designed and built for its job of motoring out into the Gulf of Mexico and jacking up in the air. The boats in this 130' (leg length) class are built to work in water as deep as 90', and spend a self-contained week or more with as many as 22 crew and contractors servicing an oil platform or structure while living aboard in relative comfort. Twin screw and self-propelled, they can make about 8 knots underway, and they have some serious BBQ equipment on the back deck, big galleys and lounges and a pilothouse with a commanding view. Twin 50KW generators, air compressors, 10 ton and 25 ton hydraulic cranes, a rescue boat and other features make them the Swiss Army knives of vessels in my book.

I figured this one would make the perfect studio/home for a return to the waters of the 6th Boro, where I have so much going on and a lot of maritime history of my own. So I'm packing up my gear and heading to the shipyard nestled between the sugar cane fields (with roaming black bears) and the idled rigs and equipment stacked everywhere. It will be a couple of months of hard work to ready the boat for the 2,500 mile trip hugging the coastline around Florida and up the eastern seaboard. The voyage should be just about the right speed for some fishing along the way and make for an arrival in NYC waters in early summer. My plan is to install solar power, a watermaker and other amenities to make off-grid living in a variety of locations viable.

One of my heros, John A. Noble spent a lifetime making fabulous drawings, prints and paintings from his barge-studio assembled from derelict vessels in the Kill van Kull between Staten Island and Bayonne/Jersey City. You can visit the amazing houseboat he built now carefully reconstructed and on display with much of his work at the Snug Harbor Cultural Center on Staten Island, a true hidden gem. When I first got back to full-time painting my focus was maritime, and I look forward to revisiting those waters. Stay tuned !

My wonderful gallery representation: LewAllen Galleries, Santa Fe, NM
And as always, you can also contact me directly by email: info@sethtane.com and follow my occasional photo posts on: Instagram