Marriage has its privileges, and perhaps the greatest privilege of my marriage was the opportunity to get to know my wife’s parents, Bob and Audrey. Bob and Audrey are extremely generous human beings and true lovers of life. They also lived on the Chesapeake Bay - which opened up a new world for me, as you can imagine.

It was not long before Bob introduced me to the Maryland Crab. Every visit included a trip to “Scooters” for pitchers of beer and several dozen “jumbos“ in Old Bay. I soon learned how to "pull the zipper" and dive into one of nature’s exquisite delicacies. I was immediately a convert.

On trips to South Carolina, the kids would swim while I went “chicken necking.” The blue crab became my obsession. I came to love them for their beauty and their spirited nature. Nowhere will you find a creature so darned spirited!  Yet as you pull them up out of the water in your net, you cannot help but marvel at their fabulous beauty. Thus their scientific name: Callinectes sapidus, from the Greek calli -"beautiful" and nectes -"swimmer." The gorgeous hues of blues and oranges and reds and greens and yellows are remarkable. You can even find a dark violet! The intricacies of their structure are nothing short of extraordinary. Reflected light dances across their ivory legs and underbellies as they scurry across the dock, and the moisture makes them glisten like someone dipped them in varnish. 

This painting was created as a gift to Bob. When he retired and settled into his Chesapeake home, I painted this 24” by 48” depiction of one of his favorite creatures. It was my first “wildlife” painting. I spent well over a month on the painting, and at the time, remarked that it was, by far, the most difficult painting I had ever done. But I was enthralled by the colors, details and light energy. Recreating a creature so beautiful and so intricate brought me to an appreciation of nature and God I had never experienced before. It will always be one of my favorite paintings.

Please call me for limited edition print information. They are available through The Annapolis Marine Art Gallery in Annapolis, MD.