Skip to main content
Items Similar to "Close to Shore" four symbolic blue boats, surreal, ladders, floating, mystical
Hélène Duclos - By the sea Hélène Duclos Contemporary art painting blue landscape sky
By the sea Hélène Duclos Contemporary art painting blue landscape sky
Max Todd - 'Staying Afloat' Colourful Contemporary 3D Painting of boats on the water, blue
'Staying Afloat' Colourful Contemporary 3D Painting of boats on the water, blue
Max Todd - 'Big Blue' Contemporary Colourful 3D Painting of sea, boats and figures, water
'Big Blue' Contemporary Colourful 3D Painting of sea, boats and figures, water
Amilcar Rivera M. - Painting Acrylic on Canvas. Blue Seaside Horizon with Paper Boats and a Couple.
Painting Acrylic on Canvas. Blue Seaside Horizon with Paper Boats and a Couple.
Tim Owen - Contemporary Blue Bars Mixed Media Painting on Wood Panel
Contemporary Blue Bars Mixed Media Painting on Wood Panel
Jenny Lock - Harbour Lights, 2023 - Abstract Minimalist Oil Painting with Boats and Collage
Harbour Lights, 2023 - Abstract Minimalist Oil Painting with Boats and Collage
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 2

Gretchen Weller Howard
"Close to Shore" four symbolic blue boats, surreal, ladders, floating, mystical

2026

$3,850
£2,901.30
€3,393.16
CA$5,447.83
A$5,528.55
CHF 3,187.09
MX$66,941.08
NOK 36,992.06
SEK 37,387.71
DKK 25,366.02

About the Item

"Close to Shore" features four blue and teal boats stacked atop one another. This layered mixed media composition filled with symbolic boats, ladders, and fragments of memory suspended against a textured white ground. Four vessel-like forms float vertically through the painting, each carrying vivid patterns, geometric symbols, and luminous bands of color that suggest journeys through emotion, history, and personal transformation. Howard, a self-described colorist born and raised in New Orleans, often uses recurring imagery such as boats, bridges, birds, and ladders to create what she describes as a visual language of memory and rebirth. In this work, the boats become carriers of stories and resilience, connected by delicate ladder structures that imply movement between worlds, generations, and experiences. The surfaces of the vessels are especially poignant because they incorporate repurposed fragments of canvases salvaged from Howard’s destroyed studio after Hurricane Katrina, physically embedding the remnants of loss and survival into the painting itself. After returning to Pass Christian, Mississippi following the storm, Howard discovered damaged paintings gathered beneath a lone surviving oak tree and later tore them into strips that became part of her artistic process and symbolism. Gretchen Weller Howard was born and raised in New Orleans, LA. A self-described colorist, she employs both symbols and color to communicate the deeply personal meaning of each work. Over the years, she has developed a distinct vocabulary of images to describe the emotional threads that tie her work together. The vessels, or boats of sorts, “appeared” first, and initially held within them the shredded remains of paintings she had lost during Katrina. After the storm, when Gretchen and her husband returned to their home in Pass Christian, MS, all that remained standing was a huge oak on the beach. Surrounding it were the remnants of an extensive collection of paintings that neighbors had collected and placed beneath the tree. Unable to throw them away, she tore them into strips and later incorporated them into her work. These boats held safe the memory of the past and yet celebrated the rebirth of the entire region. Soon after, bridges appeared as Gretchen returned to her birthplace and committed to laying down her family roots in New Orleans once again. And finally, the bird. Like the others, she appeared suddenly and stood upon the bridges, a sentinel of possibility, never in flight, but poised for the great leap. Today Gretchen’s work still primarily revolves around birds and boats, but the meanings have shifted and grown to take on a new, rich, and ever evolving language. They have both become vessels through which an idea is conveyed, and together with a supporting cast of symbolic characters, a story is told and a mystery unfolds.
  • Creator:
    Gretchen Weller Howard (American)
  • Creation Year:
    2026
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 36 in (91.44 cm)Width: 36 in (91.44 cm)Depth: 3 in (7.62 cm)
  • More Editions & Sizes:
    1 of 1Price: $3,850
  • Medium:
    Canvas,Plaster,Acrylic,Board,Color Pencil
  • Movement & Style:
    Contemporary
  • Period:
    2010-
  • Framing:
    Framing Options Available
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Edgartown, MA
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU164218307262

More From This Seller

View All
"The Beholder" four boats, resilience, surreal, joy, design, colorful, feminine

Gretchen Weller Howard"The Beholder" four boats, resilience, surreal, joy, design, colorful, feminine, 2026

"The Beholder" four boats, resilience, surreal, joy, design, colorful, feminine

Located in Edgartown, MA

“The Beholder” is a layered mixed media composition filled with symbolic boats, ladders, and fragments of memory suspended against a textured white ground. Four vessel-like forms fl...

Category

2010s Contemporary Mixed Media

Materials

Canvas, Plaster, Acrylic, Board, Color Pencil

"Summer Stars" boats, resilience, repurposed, upcycling, cultural, joyful, hope

Gretchen Weller Howard"Summer Stars" boats, resilience, repurposed, upcycling, cultural, joyful, hope, 2026

"Summer Stars" boats, resilience, repurposed, upcycling, cultural, joyful, hope

Located in Edgartown, MA

“Summer Stars” is a layered mixed media composition filled with symbolic boats, ladders, and fragments of memory suspended against a textured white ground. Four vessel-like forms fl...

Category

2010s Contemporary Mixed Media

Materials

Canvas, Plaster, Acrylic, Board, Color Pencil

"FAITH" Vertical oil painting of 5 nautical Flags against a cobalt blue sky.

Rob Brooks"FAITH" Vertical oil painting of 5 nautical Flags against a cobalt blue sky., 2022

"FAITH" Vertical oil painting of 5 nautical Flags against a cobalt blue sky.

By Rob Brooks

Located in Edgartown, MA

From an incandescent sunset on Long Island Sound to an iconic pop-kitsch ice storage bin at the neighborhood corner store, Rob Brooks offers us a visual journey from the real to surr...

Category

2010s Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

"Held" abstract encaustic painting of curved shapes in navy, blue and white

Marissa Voytenko"Held" abstract encaustic painting of curved shapes in navy, blue and white, 2022

"Held" abstract encaustic painting of curved shapes in navy, blue and white

By Marissa Voytenko

Located in Edgartown, MA

“As an encaustic painter, I have come to appreciate and enjoy the way the hot wax pushes me beyond precision. I am a very orderly person and I think in grids. Much of my work is cent...

Category

2010s Abstract Abstract Paintings

Materials

Encaustic, Wood Panel

"Sea Fair" abstract sedimentary landscape oil painting greys and blues

Chase Langford"Sea Fair" abstract sedimentary landscape oil painting greys and blues, 2023

"Sea Fair" abstract sedimentary landscape oil painting greys and blues

By Chase Langford

Located in Edgartown, MA

Chase Langford has created a distinctive visual language that is grounded in the natural and built environment while embarking into uncharted territory. His impactful depictions reca...

Category

2010s Abstract Mixed Media

Materials

Mixed Media, Oil

You May Also Like

'Big Blue' Contemporary Colourful 3D Painting of sea, boats and figures, water

Max Todd 'Big Blue' Contemporary Colourful 3D Painting of sea, boats and figures, water

'Big Blue' Contemporary Colourful 3D Painting of sea, boats and figures, water

By Max Todd

Located in Shrewsbury, Shropshire

'Big Blue' is a fun and vibrant contemporary 3D figurative painting of colourful figures and colourful boats on the water. Max Todd uses contemporary techniques to produce his works...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Collage Series IX, Mixed Media, Paper, Foil, Acrylic, Blue, White "In Stock"

Sunil DasCollage Series IX, Mixed Media, Paper, Foil, Acrylic, Blue, White "In Stock", 2010

Collage Series IX, Mixed Media, Paper, Foil, Acrylic, Blue, White "In Stock"

By Sunil Das

Located in Kolkata, West Bengal

Sunil Das - Collage Series IX - 23 x 16 inches (unframed size) Collage Series, Mixed Media, Paper, Foil, Acrylic. Will be shipped, ready to hang with frame . Sunil Das (1939-2015) ...

Category

2010s Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Foil

'Staying Afloat' Colourful Contemporary 3D Painting of boats on the water, blue

Max Todd 'Staying Afloat' Colourful Contemporary 3D Painting of boats on the water, blue

'Staying Afloat' Colourful Contemporary 3D Painting of boats on the water, blue

By Max Todd

Located in Shrewsbury, Shropshire

'Staying Afloat' is a fun and vibrant contemporary 3D figurative painting of colourful figures and colourful boats on the water. Max Todd uses contemporary techniques to produce hi...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Landscape Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Boats and sea.1, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas

Julia HackerBoats and sea.1, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas, 2021

Boats and sea.1, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas

By Julia Hacker

Located in Yardley, PA

Wind in your face, blue water under the white sparkling boat. Nothing can beat the feeling of a sailing boat. Deep,1.5" sides of the artwork are pained in white. Arrives ready to ha...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Paintings

Materials

Acrylic