My first version of this piece featured calm waters and clear skies and appeared to be, on the surface, a contemplative piece. The idea for it came about, however, as a result of an unsettled time in my relationship. One morning, my wife and I were discussing an issue that had been dogging our marriage for some time. When she asked how I felt at that moment, I said, “Like a man in a boat alone.” From this conversation, I set out to create a piece with one man in one boat on a vast sea. The feel and look of the piece, however, was not right, aesthetically or psychologically. I then added more people in boats, all of whom were keeping to themselves (reading, looking away, etc. ). Upon completion, I saw this as a hopeful piece. While we are all “in a boat alone,” there are opportunities for connection all around us, including within relationships.
This brings me to the new version, Man in a Boat Alone: Contemplation. In this one, what looks like chaos fills the sky, however I see this “chaos” as light and energy. While we are all in a boat alone, we can still connect by bringing presence and contemplation to our lives, which in turn brings energy, creativity and light.