The sailboat
Atelier is home, studio, and sometime gallery for David Aiken. His paintings are vivid impressions of the places and people he finds as he travels the water routes of the United States and the Bahamas. In the summer months, the boat is in the Chesapeake, allowing ample time for sketching and painting in Bay tributaries and waterside towns. Whether working in watercolor or acrylic, David uses direct strokes of color-over-color to bring a strong element of design to his art. Despite the boating lifestyle, the subjects of his paintings are not limited to marine in the traditional sense. To balance the boating time, David spends part of each year meandering by land, revisiting his home state of Michigan or, more recently, driving cross-country for the inspiration that comes with the scenic beauty of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. The palette is always changing, to reflect the changing surroundings. David is the coauthor of seven children's books, and he has illustrated a total of thirteen. At schools and libraries, he gives "book-talk" presentations, showing children how to draw and encouraging them to stretch their imagination.
