Marc Castelli | Knowing Hands

Friday, May 15 – 6-8 pmJune First Friday, June 5, 5-8 pmMore than 45 new watercolor paintings are featured in Marc Castelli’s one-man show, Knowing Hands. Castelli is known throughout the world for his depiction of the watermen and workboats of the Chesapeake region and for his action packed paintings of the historic Chesapeake Bay log canoes. Castelli drew his inspiration for the title of this year’s show from a passage he read in Eric Sevareid’s book, Not So Wild A Dream:

“None of them ever read a book of directions, or studied a blueprint. They just did it, with a leisurely, natural system, and it stayed done, it worked. None of them could have quoted a single law of physics or chemistry, and the words would have sounded like embarrassing nonsense to them anyway. Yet they understood, they knew, their hands knew. They live in a world of knowing hands.”

The challenge Castelli set for himself was to capture the watermen in these moments of effortless knowing. It is through Castelli’s “knowing hands” that we are privy to join him on the decks of these workboats as silent observers. This year’s exhibition features numerous portraits of the men plying their trade with skills and techniques passed down through the generations. Although Castelli work is always captivating, he does not paint “pretty” pictures of waterman’s world. It is his painterly skill, accuracy and attention to the raw detail that has brought him to the attention of curators and collectors of maritime art both in this country and abroad. You can view all images from this show by visiting the Marc Castelli website at www.marc-castelli.com

We are pleased to announce that next spring