Woodland Deer

We don't know whether this painting depicts a Scottish, Manx, or Rocky Mountain deer. It is possible that this is a now extinct Manx breed which disappeared in the mid-late 19th century.  The painting was forgotten about and remained in an attic for nearly a century, but now graces my dining room wall. The gilded gold frame and beige matte might be from the 1950s. I replaced the glass with one that provides UV protection.

Notice a small flock of birds in the background.



Small woodland flowers, daisies, ferns seem plausible, but poppies?

Two does/fawns in the background. One has noticed the painter and is watching carefully.

A focal point in the painting is the spot where the deer's hoof touches the water- indicating the importance of place.

The tree branches mirror the deer's antlers.

Obviously this isn't a plein air painting of mountains in February.

Sailboats at Liberty Island- Statue of Liberty

This painting is nearly identical to the one of Douglas Bay except the Tower of Refuge has been replaced by the Statue of Liberty. Interestingly, Sawyer painted the two landmarks as approximately the same size, when in reality, the Statue of Liberty is nearly 8 times taller! Perhaps the artist simply attempted to maintain the composition of the original and created 'mirrored' paintings of the start and finish of his journey. I like to think that perhaps he was making a statement about the equality of the two countries by portraying their national landmarks as equals. In either case, the paintings tell the story of our family's Manx-American immigration.







Perhaps historians could tell us whether sailboats such as these were the most frequent vessels in New York Harbor at the turn of the century, or whether the steamboats (depicted as ghosts in the background) were actually more common.  






















Again, one of Sawyer's nimble shadow sailors works under the boom.





The sun shines on a sapphire waters, rather atypical for the greys of New York Harbor.

Sailboats at Port Douglas- Tower of Refuge

This painting is the most cherished in our family's collection. It depicts several sailboats around St. Mary's Isle or 'Conister Rocks' in Douglas Bay and the Tower of Refuge. The tower was built in 1832 by Sir William Hillary as place for the occasional shipwrecked sailor to take refuge on the semi-submerged reef-rocks until help could arrive.It was supposedly stocked with rum and hardtack.
 

The dimensions of the picture are rather small (perhaps 8X10 or less). The image copied for this blog was taken from a photograph blown up to 16X20. 

Sawyer painted a cheery azure sky and sapphire waters instead of the typical greys of the Irish Sea.  Sailors work under the boom with ropes. The forward lookout balances proudly on the bow.


The painting is signed 'H.E. Sawyer 1918' which doesn't seem to correspond with family story that the picture was painted en route. Also, the boats appear to be sailing toward the Manx landmark, but away from the Statue of Liberty!