Porch at the Beaufort Lady

 Two explanations are probably needed to understand my need to develop this painting.  The first is the use of the term "Lady".  I'm not sure why but I tend to think of certain items as  being of the female or male gender , even though they don't have a sexual gender.  For example, I've always thought of an auto in feminine terms, and I'll refer to trucks as if they were masculine.  I know that is probably not "politically correct" and I apologize to any that my thinking offends, but it has been my way of identifying certain objects for more than 60 years.  And in that vein of thought, I've always thought of houses as being feminine.  Thus, the "Lady" of the painting is the wonderful stately house which I found in Beaufort, NC.

 My noticing this beautiful house was an accident.  My wife and I were driving along the harbor and I was looking for boats, clouds, and marshes which might make a good painting.  At one spot, I was taking pictures of a small boat when a gust of wind almost knocked me down.  As I attempted to get my balance, I turned to get my back to the wind.  In doing so, I was suddenly looking at this marvelous house.  More specifically, I was looking at the porch which faced the bay.  After I gathered myself, I quickly ignored the boat and gave my full attention to "The Beaufort Lady".  Hopefully, you'll find the same grace and beauty in this painting of this most wonderful structure which both excited and calmed me at the same time.  By the way, in the future, I intend to paint several other views of "The Lady".