Behind every piece of art, there’s a story worth telling, and for Jane Lawton Baldridge, an internationally renowned artist from Stuart, Fla., the heart of her narrative has always been water.
Ever since Baldridge’s mother placed her bassinet under the seat of a sailboat, a lifelong aquatic connection unfolded, from sailboat racing to making a living capturing breathtaking ocean landscapes, or “sea stories,” as she calls them.
“At the age of 9, I would sail all day by myself. It was safer for me to be alone out there. At the age of 12, I sailed out of sight of land for the first time. It was magical,” she recalls. “All my troubles just disappeared and everyone that tormented me was beyond the horizon and I was out of their reach.”
Spending her life around water, growing up on the coast of Texas and later in Florida, Baldridge, 64, knew she wanted to be an artist and a sailor from an early age.
She made her first artistic breakthrough in 1974, winning the National Gold Medal at the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards for her pen-and-ink portrayal of a guitar player. But despite exploring more representational themes throughout her career, she always finds her way back to the water.
Her solo exhibit, “Navigation Oceana,” at the Palm Beach Design Showroom, consists of 17 paintings marked with latitude and longitude coordinates on ID tags. She says this set of sea stories is about places on the navigation chart where she’s had profound experiences.
Baldridge’s first source of inspiration is the myriad shades of blue and turquoise found in the sea. “I can stare at it for days,” she says. She’s also intrigued by the water’s motion. “My favorite lullaby has always been the lapping of the waves on the shore or the side of the hull.”
Sailboat racing, however, is her true love. “It takes me away from all my problems and pain,” she says. She also enjoys boat rides and is a United States Coast Guard licensed captain. “I am not just obsessed with water, but cannot seem to breathe away from it for too long,” she confesses.
As for her creative process, she explains, “I massage the surface with an acrylic fiber paste to create a connection with the surface. I then begin building up layers and texture. I maneuver the paint in layers to elicit the story and energy I’m trying to share. Using all the tools available, I brush, roll, knife, spray and bow the paint around in these layers. I finish by spending time with the painting and doing hand work to refine it.”
Throughout a lifetime spent on the ocean, deep respect for it has played a prominent role. “I have been at its mercy many times,” says Baldrige. And although she profoundly admires the good that it does, she understands its ferocity, too.
“Navigation Oceana” is open until Sept. 30, Tuesdays to Saturdays, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
For more information, visit artspeaks.com.
Photo courtesy of Olga Hamilton