One day last week, John Schisler of Millsboro, Delaware stood beneath the sloping roof that covers the weathered concrete loading platform at PT Hambleton’s crab and oyster wharf in Bozman.

John Schisler painted this scene at PT Hambleton’s in Bozman, MD for the 2021 Plein Air Easton festival.

Positioned out of the way of watermen bringing in bushel baskets filled with scratching crabs, he studied the scene carefully. What he saw eventually found its way onto the canvas he had propped on his wooden, three-legged easel.

Schisler worked steadily, dabbing the bristles of his brush in the various colors of his palette, applying detail and color to the composition he had chosen, finding the right combinations of light and shadow to bring life and depth to the two dimensional scene he created with his paints.

It was a hot day, like many last week, and Schisler was happy to be working in the shade. Todd Hambleton, John’s uncle, touched base with his nephew occasionally, checking out his progress between tallying baskets of crabs and rolling them on a dolly into the cooler.

“I’ve known him since he was about this tall,” said Todd, holding his hand knee high.

John Schisler at work on his painting at PT Hambleton’s crab and oyster operation in Bozman, MD.

There was a time when the artist was the only one who painted scenes around Hambleton’s during Easton’s annual plein air competition and exhibition. “I knew this was a good place to paint because of my uncle’s family,” he said. “But word’s gotten out and others have found their way here now to paint the boats and the wharf and the people who make their living on the water.”

Schisler was among 58 artists from all over the United States – among hundreds of applicants – who were selected by an art professional to come to Talbot County for the 2021 competition. They painted in the towns, villages, farms and waterways between July 11 and 18, framed and exhibited their works, and entered their best in the competition for thousands of dollars in cash prizes.

Founded 17 years ago by the Avalon Foundation as a cultural event for the Talbot community and as a fundraiser, Plein Air Easton has generated millions of dollars over the years for the foundation and local economy.

Kyle Buckland captured the energetic flavor of Plein Air Easton’s Harrison Street art scene with this painting he completed – from start to finish – in the Quick Draw event Saturday morning between 10 a.m. and 12 noon. There’s a direct connection between his big smile, on the right, and that SOLD sign on the left.

This year’s event brought out not only the juried artists chosen for the competition, but also hundreds of other painters who exhibited in other shows and participated in the two-hour, quick-draw event on Saturday.  Thousands of people looked at the fruits of the artists’ labors throughout the week in exhibit spaces around the county and enjoyed social events associated with the event.

On Saturday, with Harrison Street in Easton partially closed to traffic, crowds braved the heat, drank free water provided by the Avalon Foundation, listened to live music on a streetside stage, and took a close look at the plein air paintings produced that morning. The easeled works lined both sides of the street along with their creators.

Baltimore artist Tim Kelly won Plein Air Easton’s Grand Prize of $5,000 – the Timothy Dills Memorial Award – for his painting titled A Little Bit Louder Now, inside Easton’s Avalon Theater.

All the paintings created over the week-long event were for sale and many sported the red dots cherished by artists indicating the piece had been sold. A portion of each sale benefits the foundation.

Billed as The Nation’s Largest Outdoor Painting Competition, Plein Air Easton’s 2021 event was clearly a success. The positive energy among the artists and those who came to appreciate their talents added an extra level of excitement, especially in this bounce-back year following last year’s pandemic-modified, but still successful, event.

Dennis Forney grew up on the Chester River in Chestertown. After graduating Oberlin College, he returned to the Shore where he wrote for the Queen Anne’s Record Observer, the Bay Times, the Star Democrat, and the Watermen’s Gazette. He moved to Lewes, Delaware in 1975 with his wife Becky where they lived for 45 years, raising their family and enjoying the saltwater life. Forney and Trish Vernon founded the Cape Gazette, a community newspaper serving eastern Sussex County, in 1993, where he served as publisher until 2020. He continues to write for the Cape Gazette as publisher emeritus and expanded his Delmarva footprint in 2020 with a move to Bozman in Talbot County. 

Photos by Dennis Forney

 St. Christopher is best known as the Patron Saint of Travelers. He was celebrated in the Roman Catholic Church on July 25 and in the Eastern Orthodox Church on May 9. He is one of fourteen Auxiliary Saints or Holy Helpers who were asked for help to fight a number of diseases.  As St Christopher’s cult expanded, he became the patron saint of bachelors, storms, mariners, epilepsy, gardeners, toothaches, athletes, boatmen, soldiers, floods, and bubonic plague. His importance increased in the 14th Century during the bubonic plague (Black Death, 1346 until 1353). His role as the patron saint of travel continues.

“Saint Christopher” (1423) (woodcut)

Images of St. Christopher first appeared in the Eastern Orthodox Church in Greece in the 6th Century. Images, tales and legends of St Christopher date from the 9th Century in France. In Europe the cult of the saints greatly increased in the 10th Century, when pilgrimages to churches, shrines, and specific sites, became an important part of the Catholic worship experience.  Pilgrims wanted reminders and evidence of their journeys. Tokens, souvenirs and books were available at pilgrimage sites. Printing on fabric from a carved wood block began in China and were brought by Marco Polo to Italy in 1295.  By 1400, when paper became available, artists had developed the technique using carved wood blocks to make a print on paper. These woodcuts were the least expensive and most popular souvenirs.

“St Christopher” (1423) (woodcut from Buxheim, Upper Rhine) is one of the earliest examples. St Christopher traditionally is depicted as a very large man carrying the Christ Child across a swirling river. At the right is the image of the hermit who instructed him in the Christian faith. Christ is depicted with a Trinity halo, representing that He is Father, Son and Holy Ghost in one.  He also carries a globe with a cross on top.

The printed lines of a woodcut are above the surface of the wood block. Everything not printed must be gouged out of the wood and remain below the surface of the line.  The lines are simple and wide and most are cut with the flow of the grain.  Early wood cutters wanted to make sure the lines did not collapse as the of result application of ink from a roller, and the force of the press.  Any color was painted on by hand after the print dried. 

As Christopher carried the young Child across the river his burden becomes heavier and heavier and the water swifter and swifter. The Child identifies himself as Jesus Christ.  He then tells Christopher to plant his staff into the earth and tomorrow evidence of the truth would appear. The next morning the staff had grown palm leaves with flowers, fruit and dates. The Latin inscription that appears at the bottom of the print is a declaration: ”In whatsoever day thou seest the likeness of St Christopher, In that same day thou wilt from death no evil blow incur.”

“St. Christopher” (Durer) (1511) (woodcut)

Albrecht Durer’s “St Christopher” (1511) (woodcut 8.25” Square) illustrates his personal advance in the woodcut technique.  Parallel lines following the grain of the wood are abundant and can easily be seen in the water and elsewhere. Durer has achieved numerous circular shapes that can be seen in the curly hair of Christ and Christopher. To create a greater sense of light and shadow, Durer adapted the drawing technique of cross-hatching lines to create a darker area.  Very small cubes needed to be cut into the wood instead of cutting lines. Shadows on the water and on Christopher’s clothing are most obvious.  Durer used his knowledge of perspective to place all the figures in a realistic space.  Knowledge of anatomy and facial expression also generate the strength and the struggle Christopher experiences with the enormous burden on his back. Christ is depicted as a robust infant. The three rays of holy light that rise from His head represent the Trinity.

The Golden Legend by Jacobus Voragine (1228-1298), was a notable source for the life of the Saint.  According to the Legend, Christopher was originally names Reprobus. A towering 7.5 feet tall, he was a Canaanite.  He decided he wanted to serve the greatest king on earth, and went on a search to find that king. When he thought he had found that king, he served him. When the king heard the devil mentioned, he crossed himself for protection.  Reprobus saw the king feared the devil: therefore, he searched for the devil in order to serve this greater king. On the road he encountered a band of marauders and one of them said he was the devil.

Christopher served the devil until they passed by a wayside cross, and the devil fled in fear of Christ. Reprobus’s search for Christ led him to a holy hermit who instructed him in the faith and baptized him. The hermit suggested he should serve Christ by fasting and praying, but Reprobus replied this would not be possible for him. The hermit then suggested because of his great size and strength, he could serve Christ by helping people cross a dangerous river where many had perished in the attempt.  

“St Christopher” (Lucas Cranach) (1518-20) (oil)

Scenes of the story of the life of St Christopher are almost non-existent. Unfortunately, the paintings of his life by Andrea Mantegna (1448-1457) in the Ovetari Chapel in the Church of the Eremitani, Padua, were largely destroyed on March 11, 1944, during WWII. 

 Lucas Cranach’s painting “St Christopher” (1518-2) (16.5’’ x 11’’) that depicts St Christopher carrying Christ across the river is the traditional image. While Christopher was sleeping, he was awakened by a childs’ voice asking for help. He was not able to find the child until his third search. The Golden Legend describes the event.  “Christopher took the child upon his shoulders…little by little the water rose and the Child became heavier than a leaden weight…until Christopher was so sorely tired that he thought he would founder in the water…’Child, thou hast put me in dire peril, and hast weighed so heavy upon me that if I had borne the whole world upon my shoulders, it could not have burdened me more heavily!’…And the Child answered: ‘Wonder not, Christopher, for not only hast thou born the whole world upon thy shoulders, but Him Who created the world. For I am Christ thy King, Whom thou servest in this work!” Christ then told him to plant his staff n the ground,as depicted in the 1423 woodcut, and then vanished. From that time, Reprobus became Christopher, the ‘bearer of Christ.’ 

Cranach added a fisherman’s creel and knife to St Christopher’s attire.  A fish and a loaf of bread can be seen in the creel. The fish and loaf of bread suggest the parable of the loaves and the fishes, among other Biblical references. St Christopher is large and capable and intended to assure a safe journey and a safe harbor.  However, Cranach has included a warning about the need to be ever watchful and faithful.  A small mermaid swims in the water in the foreground. She is a young, well-endowed woman with long blond hair, fins, and serpent’s tail. The mermaids’ ability to lure and tempt men even to death is an ancient belief. She serves to remind the viewer of the temptations and dangers continually to be faced.

“St Christopher” (1650 icon)

In the Eastern Orthodox Church, St Christopher was often depicted with the head of a dog until the 18th Century, when the church in Moscow forbade the use of this image. There are several possible reasons for this attribute.  Reprobus (scoundrel) was from Canaan, and an incorrect translation of the Latin word Cananeus (Canaanite) as canine (dog) may be responsible. One story tells of Reprobus having been captured by the Roman army forced to join the Roman Marmaris division, men of great size with dog heads. When the unit was transferred to Antioch, Reprobus converted to Christianity and was baptized, which gave him a human appearance.  In all versions of the story Reprobus is changed by his conversion to Christianity. In later stories of his life, he converts hundreds of people to Christianity, and after torture he is beheaded and dies a martyr.

In 1954, the Roman Catholic Church extended the worship of St Christopher to all masses. However, his name was dropped from the Roman Catholic calendar in 1969, and his feast day was no longer an obligation. The decision included the dropping of several other saints because they were not part of the early Roman tradition, and there were doubts concerning Christopher’s actual existence.  Nonetheless, many Catholics continue to seek St Christopher’s blessing and protection for their travels.

Beverly Hall Smith was a professor of art history for 40 years.  Since retiring with her husband Kurt to Chestertown six years ago, she has taught art history classes at WC-ALL and Chesapeake College’s Institute for Adult Learning.  She is also an artist whose work is sometimes in exhibitions at Chestertown RiverArts and she paints sets for the Garfield Center for the Arts.

Aaron Sopher drew several illustrations for Hulbert Footner’s Rivers of the Eastern Shore. This one shows Joshua Thomas praying after catching a fish. In his own writings, Thomas said: “When I caught a fish I always pulled off my hat, kneeled down in the canoe and thanked the Lord for it and asked Him to give me another. I often had all the fish I wanted when others had none.”

Up and down the Eastern Shore, there’s nothing quite as ubiquitous as crabs, oysters and Canada geese, small towns and villages – and smaller post offices – along with white-painted, wooden Methodist churches.

So what’s the method aspect of Methodism, which took root so vigorously in this region?

In Van Morrison’s super-spiritual and lovely song In The Garden, he sings, and talks, a refrain that says: “No guru, no method, no teacher – just you and I in nature.”

The song shares a simple spirituality, but Van’s sentiments aside, I’ve felt there still must be something to that method in Methodism.

Two years ago or so a few of us were fishing for rockfish around the remains of the Love Point Light north of Kent Island. The fish weren’t in a cooperative mood so we had time to jibber-jabber. Among us was Raym’s son Wilson, heavy into Christianity and its gospel of love, now a seminarian with a career as a minister in his sights.

One day I asked Raym if he had ever heard Wilson preach.

Raym answered quickly, with good humor and love: “Every time he opens his mouth.” We laughed.

That day we were fishing, I asked Wilson what he thought the method meant in Methodism. Though he’s pretty much non-denominational, he gave it some thought and took a stab at it:

“I would guess it’s a method for living a holy life,” he said.

That worked for me.

Then, just this week, I brought it up with Will, pastor at my home church in Lewes, Groome Church. Though Groome is now in the throes of leaving the Methodist Church because of the mother church’s anti-homosexuality stance, Will knows Methodism thoroughly as a minister in the denomination for 45 or so years.

The United Methodist Church in Bozman

He said his understanding of the method in Methodism had to do with founder John Wesley’s belief that the Christian message should be taken out to the people instead of insisting that people should come to the church. “It was a method of taking a theology out to the countryside – to all the people. That’s why they had circuit-riding preachers. John Wesley had a makeshift pulpit that he carried around in the back of a wagon so he could preach the gospel wherever he went. No churches needed.”

That worked for me too.

The line of thinking took me to a prominent historical figure on the Eastern Shore named Joshua Thomas, who I wrote about early in my career as a journalist when I was with the Record Observer in Centreville.

In Eastern Bay, tucked inside Kent Island, there’s an island named Parsons Island. My understanding is that Thomas, who eventually became known as the Parson of the Islands, preached there from time to time. I toured the island and learned something of Thomas.

He started out around Crisfield, saw the light when he was about 23, and then followed his calling as a preacher with Tangier Island as his home base.

Pastor Will, a sailor himself, recalled that Thomas earned his moniker as Parson of the Islands by sailing “in a sharpie-like sail boat” up and down the inhabited islands of the lower shore. He preached his sermons to whoever would show up and listen. In so doing, he aligned himself with Wesley’s method and became – literally – an honest-to-God Methodist minister.

What little I know now about Thomas comes from Hulbert Footner’s 1947 book Rivers of the Eastern Shore which I mentioned in a recent column. For those interested in the Eastern Shore – its culture, history, geography and people – I couldn’t recommend Footner’s book more highly. I believe it’s out of print but copies are available via the internet.

In the chapter on the Little and Big Annemessex Rivers at Crisfield, Footner quotes Thomas’s own words when he explains the high point of the preacher’s career when, during the War of 1812, he addressed about 12,000 British troops on Tangier after their fleet took the island. When the fleet was about to head up the Chesapeake to take Baltimore, the admiral commanded Thomas to address the troops.

Thomas said he told them his story as a converted sinner, and then, fearlessly, he told them of the wickedness of war “and that God had said: ‘Thou shalt not kill!’ . . . . I told them that it was given me from the Almighty that they could not take Baltimore and would not succeed in the expedition.” He also told them that if they did go, God would cause them to perish by the sword.

“We saw them coming back some days later,” Thomas wrote, “and I went down to meet the first that landed. ‘Have you taken Baltimore?’ I asked. ‘No,’ one answered, ‘But hundreds of our men have fallen and our best General is killed. All the time we were fighting we thought of you and what you had told us. You seemed to be standing there before us, still warning us.’”

Footner writes much more – with great color – about Thomas.

In the rest of his richly informative and engaging book, in his own methodical way, the author explains, through his own travels, observations and anecdotes, much about Maryland’s Eastern Shore and a culture that persists in many pockets to this day.

Dennis Forney grew up on the Chester River in Chestertown. After graduating Oberlin College, he returned to the Shore where he wrote for the Queen Anne’s Record Observer, the Bay Times, the Star Democrat, and the Watermen’s Gazette. He moved to Lewes, Delaware in 1975 with his wife Becky where they lived for 45 years, raising their family and enjoying the saltwater life. Forney and Trish Vernon founded the Cape Gazette, a community newspaper serving eastern Sussex County, in 1993, where he served as publisher until 2020. He continues to write for the Cape Gazette as publisher emeritus and expanded his Delmarva footprint in 2020 with a move to Bozman in Talbot County. 

Livia Drusilla (58 BCE to 29 CE), was the wife of Emperor Cesar Augustus and the Empress of Rome from 27 BCE to 14 CE.  A member of a prominent and wealthy Roman family, she possessed property that she brought to the marriage.  Livia’s luxurious country villa, thought to be part of her dowery, was located six miles from Rome in Prima Porta (First Door), on the heights above the Tiber River that flowed to Rome. Country residences were used for relaxing, growing plants, flowers, and herbs. Livia was unique among women of her time, as Augustus gave her the privilege of having her own property and managing her own money.  She managed copper mines in Gaul, papyrus marshes in Egypt, and several palm groves in Judea. She was Domina, the master and owner of the property. Livia and Augustus were married for 51 years and her son Tiberius succeeded Augustus as Emperor.  In 42 CE, her son the Emperor Claudius deified her, and she became Augusta.

Livia’s Triclinium (dining room) (32-20 BCE)

Nearby residents knew the villa by the name Villa Ad Gallinas Albas (The White Hen).  Legend records that an eagle flew over the villa garden where Livia was sitting. The eagle carried a white hen and a laurel branch that dropped from its claws into Livia’s lap.  It was considered to be an excellent omen.  Livia planted the laurel branch; it prospered and became a grove of laurel trees on the grounds. Laurel was considered a symbol of good fortune, peace, victory, re-birth, and prosperity, and the leaves were thought to have both physical and spiritual cleansing qualities.  Laurel leaves were used to make the Imperial crown. The trees are either male or female and have yellow flowers and berries; the berries can be used in food or as a garnish, the oil can be extracted for soap, the scent being pleasant was thought to inspire creative thoughts. Laurel trees can grow to 60 feet in height and live more than 100 years, thus representing longevity and immortality. 

Dining in Rome was a significant social and political event.  Livia’s dining room is entered through an arched doorway. The four walls are painted as a perpetual garden for the pleasure and comfort of her family and guests. The dining room is 40 feet long and 20 feet wide, and had a barrel-vaulted ceiling. The plaster walls covered with buon fresco; water-based paint applied to wet plaster. The paint permeates into several layers of the plaster for longevity. Experts state that at least 69 types of birds would have been found in the area. Twenty-four species of plants and birds have been identified in the fresco. 

Pine, Pomegranate, and Palm Tree

A painted path and low wicker fence surround the garden. Behind the wicker fence is a narrow green lawn where pheasants, partridges, doves and other birds walk about. A decoratively carved white wall separates the lawn area from abundant orchards, shrubs, flowers and birds.  Iris, violets, and ferns are spaced evenly against the white wall.  At measured intervals in the white wall are niches where pine, laurel, oak, and spruce trees van be seen. At the left a pine tree with an acanthus plant grows around the trunk. On the corner of the wicker wall sits perched a redstart/black-eared wheatear bird. Behind the wall a curved quince tree bears golden, ripe fruit.  Behind the white wall white and yellow daisies grow. 

The next tree is a pomegranate with several red-orange fruits; two branches support full fruit, and beneath them are half-opened pomegranates (see detail). To the left of the pomegranate is a jay bird, and in the sky above a golden oriole/sparrow.  A blackbird flies above a branch of the pomegranate tree. 

 Beneath the blackbird is another golden oriole, and perched on the white wall is a partridge/pheasant. At the far right, a small black-eared wheatear bird appears next to a palm tree.  A rose bush is in bloom behind the white wall.

Pomegranates and Jay, detail

Palm, Quince, and Laurel Tree, and Doves

A swallow soars above a laurel tree, and two rock dove/wood pigeons are nestled on two branches of the tree. Several laurel trees are included in the garden because they were so significant for Livia and Augustus. The two white doves symbolize peace, and their significance is increased by their placement in the laurel tree. 

A golden oriole/warbler/chaffinch bird can be seen at the right.  Ferns, flowers, and golden quince fruit can be seen on the tree at the left. A small sparrow sits on the branches of a palm tree. Roman artists during this period were able to achieve a three-dimensional effect because they had some understanding of the concept of atmospheric/aerial perspective: objects in the foreground are in full color and highly detailed. The farther away the object, the details are less distinct and colors fade. The viewer sees a deep, lush, and abundant garden. Although the variety of trees and flowers depicted on the fresco do not flower and bloom at the same time and in the same season, Livia’s dining room fresco allows her guests the pleasure of a perpetual garden where all things bloom at once.

Oak Tree and Birdcage

An oak tree is centered on this section of the wall. Oak trees have several important symbols from all cultures in lands where they grow because of their noble size and height, strength, and longevity. Some oak trees are known to have lived1000 years. Oak trees were the sacred tree to Zeus, the supreme god of the Greeks.  The small size of the acorn, from which the oak springs, is a sign of good luck and a portent of great things to come. The oak leaf cluster continues as a symbol of great military strength. The birds depicted on the fresco fly free or are perched on walls and tree branches, with exception of one bird.  On the white wall to the left of the oak tree a bird is caged. Scholars have identified some of the plants and birds, but no one has found concrete evidence to explain the one caged bird. A cluster of white and red roses grow at the right (see detail). Other plants identified include cypress and spruce trees, chamomile, strawberries, viburnum, poppies, and chrysanthemums. Other birds depicted include jays, song thrushes, nightingales and magpies. 

Bird Cage and Roses, detail

The entire organization of the garden also was symbolic. The wicker wall, green lawn and white wall are composed in an orderly fashion around the room, but behind the white wall, there is disorder. Augustus and Livia’s reign brought about 200 years of peace known as the Pax Romana. Augustus rid the seas of pirates and founded the Flaminian Rome, the extensive system of roadways that lead to Rome. He found Rome a city built of brick, and he left it a city built of marble.  On the marble structures Augustus built to celebrate his reign, the symbolic trees and flowers from Livia’s garden formed garlands and other decorations. One notable structure was the Ara Pacis, the Alar of Peace. The garden fresco would remind guests of Emperor Augustus’s reign and the importance and significance of his Empress, Livia.    

The ruins of the Villa were rediscovered in 1598, but it was not recognized as the Villa of Livia until April 20, 1863, when a marble statue of Augustus was excavated. The “Augustus of Prima Porta” is a Roman marble copy of the original Roman bronze statue made in 20 BCE to celebrate one of Augustus’ many victories. As the excavation continued, the frescoed dining room was uncovered and restored.  Its magnificence can be appreciated at the National Museum of Rome.  

Beverly Hall Smith was a professor of art history for 40 years.  Since retiring with her husband Kurt to Chestertown six years ago, she has taught art history classes at WC-ALL and Chesapeake College’s Institute for Adult Learning.  She is also an artist whose work is sometimes in exhibitions at Chestertown RiverArts and she paints sets for the Garfield Center for the Arts.