Lake Boats

This project features some of my work on the lake boats of northern Greece. These peculiar craft with their vivid colors, left floating tranquilly on the lake waters or half ashore hidden in the reeds, have an intriguing charm that stirred my interest. Although used primarily for fishing, they evoke the tacit promise of a silent passing to the opposite shore – a feature which is almost always present as background in lake compositions of this size. Their confined space and the lack of any human presence amplifies the sense of solitariness, and carries uncomfortable associations. Often when I have observed these boats they have brought to mind the figure of Charon in Greek mythology, the ferryman who transported the souls of the deceased across the Acheron to Hades.